The previous Australian prime minister Paul Keating has accused Liz Truss of creating “demented” feedback about Chinese language navy aggression and urged the British overseas secretary to rush “again to her collapsing, disreputable authorities”.

Keating, in a blistering op-ed, additionally mentioned Britain “suffers delusions of grandeur and relevance deprivation” and its tilt to the Indo-Pacific lacks credibility.

The previous Labor chief, who served as prime minister from 1991 to 1996, has lengthy pushed for “engagement” with China however now finds himself more and more at odds with the bipartisan consensus in Canberra to take a stronger line towards Beijing.

Keating took purpose at Truss, who visited Australia for conferences with counterparts final week, after a report mentioned she had warned that China may use a Russian invasion of Ukraine as a chance to launch aggression of its personal within the Indo-Pacific.

“I don’t suppose we will rule that out,” Truss was reported as saying throughout an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

“Russia is working extra carefully with China than it ever has. Aggressors are working in live performance and I feel it’s incumbent on international locations like ours to work collectively.”

Keating, who has beforehand mentioned Australia mustn’t come to Taiwan’s assist within the occasion Beijing launches an try to invade the self-governed island, criticised Truss’s feedback.

“Remarks by the British overseas secretary Liz Truss that China may have interaction in navy aggression within the Pacific, inspired by Russia’s contingent strikes towards Ukraine, are nothing wanting demented,” Keating mentioned in an op-ed posted on the Pearls and Irritations public coverage weblog on Saturday.

“Not merely irrational, demented.”

Keating additionally mentioned the fact was that Britain “doesn’t add as much as a row of beans in terms of east Asia”.

“Britain took its primary battle fleet out of east Asia in 1904 and eventually packed it in with its ‘East of Suez’ coverage within the Nineteen Seventies. And it has by no means been again,” Keating mentioned in feedback that gained prominence when reported by The Australian newspaper on Monday.

“Britain suffers delusions of grandeur and relevance deprivation.”

Keating mentioned the British and Australian governments had been “kidding the remainder of us that their ‘cooperation’ added as much as some viable coverage”.

“Truss would do us all a favour by hightailing it again to her collapsing, disreputable authorities, leaving Australia to seek out its personal manner in Asia.”

Throughout her go to, Truss addressed the Lowy Institute in Sydney and warned Russia that any invasion of Ukraine would solely result in “a horrible quagmire and lack of life” on the dimensions of the Soviet-Afghan conflict.

Truss mentioned after a gathering with the Australian overseas and defence ministers that Australia was “a completely essential ally and buddy” at a time of “elevated financial coercion from China”.

In Sydney she backed Boris Johnson, saying he was doing “a unbelievable job” as prime minister, that he has her “100% assist”, and will stay in No 10 “so long as potential”.

It isn’t the primary time Keating has taken purpose on the UK over its “tilt” to the Indo-Pacific. In a speech in November, Keating mentioned Britain was “like an previous theme park sliding into the Atlantic in comparison with fashionable China”.

Keating – a longtime advocate of Australia changing into a republic – was as soon as dubbed the “Lizard of Oz” by British tabloids after he put his hand on the Queen’s again in 1992.

He has strongly opposed the Aukus pact, sealed in September, wherein the UK and the US have vowed to assist Australia to accumulate a minimum of eight nuclear-propelled submarines.

Nonetheless the celebration Keating previously led has largely sought to keep away from main factors of distinction with the Morrison authorities on overseas coverage within the lead as much as a federal election, because of be held by Might this yr.

The Labor chief, Anthony Albanese, has mentioned China has turn out to be “way more forward-leaning” and Australia is “proper to talk up for our personal values”, saying Australian companies have been “struggling” on account of a variety of commerce actions launched by Beijing as the connection deteriorated.

The Australian defence minister, Peter Dutton, in November branded the previous prime minister as “Grand Appeaser Comrade Keating”.

Dutton later mentioned it will be “inconceivable” that Australia wouldn’t be part of the US if the highest safety ally defended Taiwan in a conflict with China – prompting accusations the minister was politicising nationwide safety within the lead-up to the election.