“Keating affects sophistication. But in truth his conception is super-simplistic – China is big and getting bigger so be nice and don't upset them. The reality is much harder - how do you work with a big economic partner while it's trying covertly to take control of your country? You don't succeed by pretending it's not happening.”
Correct, you do not succeed by pretending it’s not happening
however, what actual value is there in public newspapers bashing China?
is it going to help the situation by inflaming the populace who have no idea of the situation other than what they read in a rag?
on the contrary I would think — all it does is to release the ratbag rabble and political shock jocks to get air time pulling fantasy from their bums
There’s a thing called diplomacy — it’s not perfect — but it’s loads better than having a nation full of low educated blockheads making a hell of a noise and potentially setting us up for the election of political populists who have NBI
