Culture of Consensus Stopped Public Service From Tackling China Threat Early: Think Tanks
A culture of consensus held back the Australian Public Service from recognising, and acting, on the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), leading think tank experts argue.
Peter Jennings of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said there was a “remarkable degree of conformity” within the debate in the public service, particularly around foreign affairs.
“There’s not a lot of warmth or welcome towards people who challenge that conformity. You could argue that perhaps that’s a product of the design of the federal capital, which means that foreign and defence policy is very much a public service business inside the Australian Capital Territory and that, unlike Washington or London, it’s not troubled by a broader exposure to a range of views,” he told the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade.
China-backed airstrip upgrade in Kiribati fuels political divisions
Sun Online Desk
22nd May, 2021 06:46:24
A China-backed plan to upgrade an airstrip in Kiribati has led to intense political divisions in the Pacific Island nation, with several opposition figures questioning Beijing s intentions and the purpose of the project.
The revamp comes amid heightened scrutiny of Beijing s outreach efforts to strategically located Pacific Island nations, which are entangled in a growing competition for influence between China and the US and its Pacific allies, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Kiribati s 33 islands, scattered around resource-rich waters, make up one of the world s largest exclusive economic zones. The government had insisted that the planned upgrade of facilities on the island of Kanton is for purely civil purposes and aim to boost transport links and tourism.
Beijing [China], May 21 (ANI): A China-backed plan to upgrade an airstrip in Kiribati has led to intense political divisions in the Pacific Island nation, with several opposition figures questioning Beijing's intentions and the purpose of the project.
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