Former Australian PMs Clash Over Australia-China Relationship

Tony Abbott addresses media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Sept. 15, 2015. Stefan Postles/Getty Images

Two of Australia’s former prime ministers, right-leaning Tony Abbott and left-leaning Paul Keating, have clashed in their comments over Australia’s relationship with China, as the country debates on how to respond to the communist superpower.

During a speech in New Delhi to the India Foundation on a free and open Indo-Pacific, former Liberal prime minister Abbott on Nov. 18 suggested Australia had neglected its relationship with India by placing “put too many eggs into the China basket.”