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Australia names ‘most eminent and sought-after’ China expert Kevin Rudd as new US ambassador
- Rudd, a former prime minister who speaks fluent Mandarin, completed a doctorate on the world view of China’s President Xi Jinping earlier this year
- His appointment as Australia’s new US envoy comes as Canberra and Washington are deepening their defence cooperation in response to a rising China
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Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was named Canberra’s next ambassador to the United States on Tuesday at a time when both countries are deepening security cooperation in response to a rising China.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Rudd “one of the world’s most eminent and sought-after experts on China and US-China relations”, and said he would bring “unmatched experience” to the role at a time when the region was being reshaped by strategic competition.
“Kevin Rudd is an outstanding appointment,” said Albanese at a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s state visit to China. “He brings a great deal of credit to Australia by agreeing to take up this position as a former prime minister, as a former foreign minister.”
Rudd, who speaks fluent Mandarin, has written and spoken widely on foreign relations with China since he quit politics in 2013.
He completed an Oxford doctorate on the world view of China’s president, Xi Jinping, in September and currently heads the Asia Society international-relations think tank in New York.
He is a frequent commentator on Australian and American politics, and has been a vociferous critic of both conservative US press baron Rupert Murdoch and former US president Donald Trump – who has announced his intention to run again in 2024.
Albanese dodged suggestions that Rudd’s opinions would overshadow his work.
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