Kevin Rudd has slammed the Turnbull government’s approach to China

FORMER PM Kevin Rudd slams Turnbull team’s approach on one issue, which he says could have big consequences for Australia.

KEVIN Rudd has slammed the Turnbull government’s approach to rising China, warning of disastrous consequences if Canberra doesn’t get its act together.

Speaking on the ABC’s Matter of Fact, the former Labor prime minister criticised the Liberal government for being “inconsistent” over China.

He attacked Mr Turnbull for “blowing hard and soft” at a time when “we just don’t know what the future rules will be”.

“What I would say to Mr Turnbull, is he needs to have a coherent China strategy, a consistent China strategy — one anchored in who we are as a western country in Asia, one which is mindful of the depth and breadth of the interests of the continuity of our security relationship with the United States, but with the diplomatic sensibility through all of the above — rather than simply go whichever way the political winds either here or in Washington happen to blow on a particular day,” he said.

He said the government’s strategy was “all over the place”, contrasting as examples its attempt to review Huawei’s involvement in the National Broadband Network, and its criticism of China’s claims on the disputed South China Sea.

He also warned that mishandling the country’s rising strength could eventually lead to war.

There is an argument that Mr Rudd’s attack on Mr Turnbull was partly spurred by the Liberal leader’s refusal to nominate him as a United Nations candidate in 2016.

But Doctor Adam Lockyer, a senior lecturer in Security Studies at Macquarie University, said Mr Rudd is quite right to be critical of Australia’s approach to China.

“Many of his points are accurate,” he told news.com.au. “Though at the same time, it’s not just the Turnbull government. We can trace this flip-flopping of inconsistent policy right through - to the Abbott government, the Gillard government, to Rudd himself.

“The problem is we’re trying to balance our economic interests with China against our security and defence interests, and there’s inconsistencies when you’re trying to get that right.

“The US is similarly trying to navigate between its security interests, and its economic interests with China. We still don’t know what they’re going to do, therefore we can’t really position ourselves until we do.”

As it stands, the Chinese are already challenging the existing international order.

“They’re overthrowing norms they’ve stood for for decades in East Asia. What we’re now waiting for is the US in particular to say ‘Enough’s enough’, and then wait and see what China does in response.”

As Australia attempts to balance its economic and strategic interests, remaining flexible with China may seem like the most logical option.

But at the same time, Dr Lockyer says an inconsistent approach is not the same as a flexible approach.

“Being flexible with your diplomacy is a good thing, as long as you’re being intentionally flexible,” he said. “If you’re just muddling through — and a lot of the time, our policy towards China is basically that — that’s not ideal.”

Instead, he suggested the Australian government needs to not be afraid to step in and start drawing red lines against China.

As a key example he noted the Straits of Malacca, a narrow stretch of water north of Australia that serves as one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

This strait, which links many of the major Asian economies, is essential to Australia’s defence and strategic interests.

According to Dr Lockyer, it’s also set to become one of the most contested regions of the 21st century — with China, India and the United States leading the feud.

He acknowledged that this is yet to become a serious issue, but said Australia should consider “nipping it in the bud” now before it actually becomes one further down the track.

Meanwhile, stepping away from Washington is an unlikely prospect at this stage.

“If China and the US ever got into a direct confrontation, there’s little doubt we would be on the US side,” said Dr Lockyer. “That’s inevitable. It’s just a question of how involved we get, and how committed we are to US policy.”

Mr Rudd and Mr Turnbull are both guilty of rocking the boat on the issue of China.

Chinese state media have attacked Mr Turnbull on several occasions for “standing up” against foreign interference in Australian politics, and for expressing concerns over China’s territorial aims in the South China Sea.

During his time as Prime Minister, Mr Rudd infamously made headlines over an expletive-laden tirade in which he said “those Chinese f**kers are trying to rat-f**k us”.