March 4, 2023
2 mins read

Abbott: China uses trade as a weapon

The former Australian PM said that China wants the whole world to be dependent on it but it wants to be independent of the world.

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday that China uses trade as a weapon in a way that almost no other country does.

The former Australian PM said that China wants the whole world to be dependent on it but it wants to be independent of the world. “China wants the rest of the world to be dependent on it and it wants to be completely independent for its part of the rest of the world. And this is part of the clearly stated objective of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to be the world’s number one power by mid-century. And I think we have to appreciate that China uses trade as a weapon in a way that almost no other country does. So I think we have to be very conscious of just how exposed we could be,” Abbott said.

He was speaking at the panel discussion on ‘Materials that Matter: Battle for Securing Critical Supply Chains’ during Raisina Dialogue. Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Board, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) also participated in the discussion.

“I think the pandemic was but a foretaste of what could happen. Look at the disruption which is currently being caused by the Ukraine war. Any conflict across the Straits of Taiwan would bring about disruption many orders of magnitude greater than the disruption caused by the Ukraine war. We can take supply chains for granted in an era of globalization and connectedness, we can’t take them for granted in a period of potential conflict between systems and powers. And I really think that every country right now has got to ask itself some very hard questions,” Abbott said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC in Beijing, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng/IANS)

He said that Australia wants to be as helpful as it can be. “I think Australia has this great sense of mateship, global mateship, as well as local and insular mateship,” he said.

“We discovered during the pandemic when all of a sudden everyone in the world wanted masks, gloves, PPE, ventilators, antibiotics…there was none to be had, none to be had because everyone wanted it and most of it was coming from China. And so there was this mad, mad, desperate scramble. Eventually supply started to come into equilibrium. But if there was another period of great disruption, well, then this would go from something that is nice to do to something which is absolutely, 100 per cent vitally urgent,” he added.

The Ministry of External Affairs has organised the Raisina Dialogue in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) from March 2 to 4. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Blair: Absurd to think that India is not a permanent UNSC member

Previous Story

INDIA INC.: Growing India and beyond

Next Story

Jaishankar, Jolie discuss trade, connectivity

Latest from -Top News

‘Kill and Dump’ Haunts Balochistan Again

The latest killings have reignited accusations of extrajudicial executions and the use of counterterrorism laws to cover up custodial deaths in Balochistan….reports Asian Lite News Concerns have deepened across Balochistan following the

‘ASEAN Expands, But Keeps Its Soul’

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan urged ASEAN to uphold its unity and strategic resolve amid intensifying geopolitical tensions and mounting external pressures…reports Asian Lite News Consensus and inclusivity will remain the cornerstones

Bangladesh bends to beat Trump’s blow

Dhaka seeks compromise as Trump’s 35% tariff looms large over key exports; Washington urges worker protections, factory relocation to US…reports Asian Lite News Bangladesh has opened the second round of critical trade

China seethes as US lands F-35s in PH

As US F-35 jets land in the Philippines for the first time, Manila cements its frontline role in Washington’s power play against rising China….reports Asian Lite News The Philippines is rapidly cementing
Go toTop

Don't Miss

China asks Taliban to ensure safety of Chinese citizens

Qin said China highly values cooperation with Afghanistan and always

‘G20 Presidency will boost India’s global status, power’

Chang said that the most significant thing is to enhance