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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Martin Farrer and Daniel Hurst

Aukus pact will turn Australia into ‘51st state’ of the US, Paul Keating says

Former prime minister Paul Keating raises his finger as he speaks
Former prime minister Paul Keating says Australia doesn’t need to be ‘hanging out of the Americans’ backside’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AP

Australia’s participation in the Aukus defence pact risks handing military control of the country to Washington and becoming the “51st state of the United States”, according to former prime minister Paul Keating.

Speaking on ABC’s 7.30 on Thursday night, Keating argued that Australia had made itself a target for aggression by joining the military alliance with the US and the UK in implicit opposition to China’s growing power in the Asia Pacific region.

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