KEVIN Rudd's China obsession has alarmed strategic leaders in India, Japan and Southeast Asia, who believe Australian foreign policy is becoming unbalanced and Sino-centric.
The Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister says foreign policy, especially on Asia, is his strength.
However, many regional figures indicate he faces a problem with the rest of Asia in the perception that he is focused on China and as a result has an unbalanced view of Asia.
Some US strategic thinkers privately criticise the way the Rudd Government unilaterally cancelled the Quadrilateral Dialogue involving the US, Japan, India and China.
Mike Green, former Asia director at the US National Security Council in George W.Bush's first administration, told The Weekend Australian this caused the Japanese to "lose face".
Mr Green said he believed the talks were cancelled to please China and that in opposing the dialogue, Beijing "pounded on the smallest power, Australia, the hardest". But Mr Green said the Prime Minister "knows China and is solidly committed to a strong US-Australia alliance".
US criticism of Mr Rudd is tempered by his support of the US-Australia alliance and by the courage he demonstrated in criticising Beijing during last month's visit to China, over human rights abuses in Tibet.
But retired Indian diplomat G. Partharasathy, now an author and foreign affairs commentator, said: "We get the impression that Australian policy is becoming increasingly Sino-centric".
"It is a feature of Chinese policy to keep India and America out and Australia seems to endorse this policy," he added.
He questioned Canberra's decision to announce the end of the Quadrilateral Dialogue process: "Firstly, this was an initiative of the Japanese. Nobody forced Australia to join.
"Australia joined. Surely a process of dialogue should have been followed with the dialogue partners. Just to kowtow to the Chinese and pander to their sentiment, the Australian Government unilaterally announced its withdrawal. But where is the harm in a dialogue, a dialogue of democracies?"
B. Raman, a former secretary of the Indian cabinet secretariat, accused Mr Rudd of wanting to keep India as a second-tier power that could never aspire to equal status with China.
Writing in Outlook magazine, he contrasted Mr Rudd's desire to expand the six-party talks - which involve the US, China, Japan, Russia and North and South Korea - to include Australia, with his determination to shut down the Quads process.
He characterised Mr Rudd's speeches on his tour as: "China, China, China, China and more of China was the recurring theme."
This widespread Indian perception will be a significant obstacle to the stated desire of Mr Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to enhance ties with New Delhi.
And as he prepares for his first trip as Prime Minister to Japan next month, Mr Rudd faces a more polite but similar perception problem in Tokyo, traditionally Australia's closest Asian partner.
Asia fears Rudd's China fixation | The Australian
The Mandarin-speaking Prime Minister says foreign policy, especially on Asia, is his strength.
However, many regional figures indicate he faces a problem with the rest of Asia in the perception that he is focused on China and as a result has an unbalanced view of Asia.
Some US strategic thinkers privately criticise the way the Rudd Government unilaterally cancelled the Quadrilateral Dialogue involving the US, Japan, India and China.
Mike Green, former Asia director at the US National Security Council in George W.Bush's first administration, told The Weekend Australian this caused the Japanese to "lose face".
Mr Green said he believed the talks were cancelled to please China and that in opposing the dialogue, Beijing "pounded on the smallest power, Australia, the hardest". But Mr Green said the Prime Minister "knows China and is solidly committed to a strong US-Australia alliance".
US criticism of Mr Rudd is tempered by his support of the US-Australia alliance and by the courage he demonstrated in criticising Beijing during last month's visit to China, over human rights abuses in Tibet.
But retired Indian diplomat G. Partharasathy, now an author and foreign affairs commentator, said: "We get the impression that Australian policy is becoming increasingly Sino-centric".
"It is a feature of Chinese policy to keep India and America out and Australia seems to endorse this policy," he added.
He questioned Canberra's decision to announce the end of the Quadrilateral Dialogue process: "Firstly, this was an initiative of the Japanese. Nobody forced Australia to join.
"Australia joined. Surely a process of dialogue should have been followed with the dialogue partners. Just to kowtow to the Chinese and pander to their sentiment, the Australian Government unilaterally announced its withdrawal. But where is the harm in a dialogue, a dialogue of democracies?"
B. Raman, a former secretary of the Indian cabinet secretariat, accused Mr Rudd of wanting to keep India as a second-tier power that could never aspire to equal status with China.
Writing in Outlook magazine, he contrasted Mr Rudd's desire to expand the six-party talks - which involve the US, China, Japan, Russia and North and South Korea - to include Australia, with his determination to shut down the Quads process.
He characterised Mr Rudd's speeches on his tour as: "China, China, China, China and more of China was the recurring theme."
This widespread Indian perception will be a significant obstacle to the stated desire of Mr Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to enhance ties with New Delhi.
And as he prepares for his first trip as Prime Minister to Japan next month, Mr Rudd faces a more polite but similar perception problem in Tokyo, traditionally Australia's closest Asian partner.
Asia fears Rudd's China fixation | The Australian
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