‘Quiet and Subservient’: How Beijing Tested Australia—and Why One Analyst Says Canberra Faltered
Peter Jennings also says the Trump administration should apply more pressure on Australia to increase defence spending
China's Premier Li Qiang (2nd R), Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C), Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (L) and Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick (2nd L) pose for pictures during an official lunch at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on June 17, 2024. Lukas Coch/ POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Australian government is exactly where Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping wants it to be, which is to be “quiet and subservient,” according to an ominous warning from defence expert Peter Jennings.
Jennings was the Deputy Secretary for Strategy in the Defence Department (2009-12); Chief of Staff to the Minister for Defence (1996-98); and Senior Adviser for Strategic Policy to the Prime Minister (2002-03).
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.
