Part 7/11:
Albanese claimed to raise concerns about Chinese military exercises, but critics, including analyst Michael Schub, contend that China offered no genuine assurances about future military activities. Specifically, Chinese President Xi Jinping's government conducted live-fire exercises near Australia without prior notice—actions that posed risks to civilian airliners and heightened regional tensions.
Schub describes Albanese's remarks as downplaying these risks, framing the Chinese exercises as lawful maneuvers and expressing a desire for more notice next time. In reality, the Chinese government's lack of transparency and the aggressive nature of such exercises suggest a calculated effort to assert regional dominance without regard for international sensitivities.