近期，澳大利亚前总理基廷在澳大利亚广播公司(ABC)时政访谈节目《7.30》痛批现政府的国防和外交政策抛弃工党传统价值观，并表示，美国人说要保护台湾，可实际上台湾是中国的“地产”。就此，中新网采访了澳大利亚前总理陆克文政策顾问、太和智库高级研究员鲍韶山(Warwick Powell)。

鲍韶山认为，事实上，基廷的观点并不是全新的，也代表了澳大利亚50多年来的长久立场。受美国影响，澳大利亚外交和国防政策的操作空间十分有限。他表示，澳大利亚应尽力劝说美国放弃对亚太地区霸主地位的执念，否则只能给亚洲的地区稳定、和平和发展带来威胁。

他总结道，基廷的观点把这些问题清楚地重新提到澳大利亚国家议程上，对澳大利亚和整个亚洲地区来说，都是一种贡献。(记者 陈天浩)

Australia’s former Prime Minister Paul Keating told ABC’s 7.30 that “Taiwan is not a vital Australian interest” and it is “Chinese real estate”, saying that both the U.S. and Australia subscribed to the one-China policy and had done so for decades. During an interview with China News Network, Warwick Powell, former policy advisor to Kevin Rudd and a senior fellow at Taihe Institute, says that Keating’s view has been a long-standing Australian view in place for over 50 years.

Powell adds that the agency envelope for Australia's foreign and defense policy has been constrained by the ways the U.S. articulated its concerns.

According to Powell, Australia is better positioned to persuade Washington that reclaiming primacy in the Asia-Pacific is no longer viable or realistic. Instead, America’s pursuit is a threat to regional stability, peace, and prosperity.

Keating's interjections, by putting these issues fairly and squarely back onto the national agenda, is a service to Australia and the region, Powell concludes. (Chen Tianhao)