Australia’s former prime minister Paul Keating has labelled the head of Nato a “supreme fool” for his push to increase the alliance’s ties with Asia in an attempt to contain China.
Keating made the comments about secretary general Jens Stoltenberg in a statement released as Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, travels to Germany and the Nato leaders’ summit in Lithuania to discuss greater support for Ukraine.
Keating is a strident critic of the acquisition of nuclear submarines through the Aukus alliance to guard against possible aggression from China, which Labor supported in opposition and has continued in government.
In a statement, Keating praised French president Emmanuel Macron for warning Nato “away from any expansion into Asia, reminding all and sundry of Nato’s Atlantic design and focus”.
Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Paris has opposed Nato plans to open a liaison office in Japan, which would be the alliance’s first outpost in the region. The Vilnius summit was also reportedly to see the announcement of a new partnership between Nato and Japan which could see more joint military drills and interoperability.
Keating said that Asia’s “promise” after its recent development “would be compromised by having anything to do with the militarism of Europe – and militarism egged on by the United States”.
“Of all the people on the international stage the supreme fool among them is Jens Stoltenberg, the current secretary-general of Nato.
“Stoltenberg by instinct and by policy, is simply an accident on its way to happen.”
Keating cited parallels Stoltenberg drew in February between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China in remarks that “we should not make the same mistake with China”.
He said Stoltenberg’s position was “that China should be superintended by the West and strategically circumscribed”.
“Stoltenberg, in his jaundiced view, overlooks the fact that China represents twenty per cent of humanity and now possesses the largest economy in the world … and has no record of attacking other states, unlike the United States, whose bidding Stoltenberg is happy to do,” Keating said.
A Macron official told reporters last Friday the French were not in favour of an expansion into Asia “as a matter of principle”, saying NATO was confined to the North Atlantic by the treaty that defines it. Macron has previously resisted a Nato focus on China saying the country “has little to do with the North Atlantic”.
Australia has frequently raised concerns about China including objections to militarisation of the South China Sea in breach of international law, and its human rights record in Tibet and Xinjiang.
Ahead of his trip Albanese said it was important he attend the Nato leaders summit as “Australia’s presence at this forum is firmly in our national interest as we work together towards a peaceful and stable world”.
“Alongside our NATO allies, Australia continues to demonstrate our unwavering support for Ukraine, and our condemnation of Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion,” he said.
In June Albanese unveiled a further $110m assistance package for Ukraine, including military vehicles, ammunition and humanitarian funding.
On Sunday the education minister, Jason Clare, said Australia had invested $1bn in support for Ukraine, making it the greatest non-Nato supporter except for Sweden, which is set to join.
“I think when you look at what’s happening in Ukraine, to end this on Ukraine’s terms it’s going to require all of the countries of the world to work together to support Ukraine,” he told Sky News.
Clare said that Albanese “has been very clear that there’s more to come”.
