Anthony Albanese’s deputy leader – Labor’s proclaimed Pacific guru Richard Marles – only months ago argued that island nations should be free to hook up in any way they liked with Beijing and dismissed fears about China setting up military bases in places such as the Solomons.
In a declaration that undermines Anthony Albanese’s attack on the Morrison government over its failure to stop the Solomon Islands signing a secret security deal with China, Mr Marles said: “The idea the Pacific nations would adhere to a call from Australia to not engage with China is silly.”
Since 2019, when he took a trip to Beijing funded by controversial think-tank China Matters, which has now been stripped of its Australian government funding over concerns about its agenda, Mr Marles has argued Australia should encourage China’s involvement in the Pacific, according to several documents unearthed by T he A ustralian.
