China should ‘not be treated lightly’

Sky News presenter Chris Smith says China “cannot be trusted” because it poses a “massive threat to the free world”.

Smith said the “dangerous act of intimidation” committed when a Chinese fighter jet intercepted an Australian surveillance plane was “a focal point” at a “top-level defense summit this weekend”.

“And it was US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who was one of the first to attack China for its dangerous clashes with Australian aircraft.”

Mr Smith said the problem “goes far beyond just a ‘worry’”.

“Consistent with what the Chinese foreign minister has done recently in the Pacific, and the string of deals he has pressed down island leaders, China should not be treated lightly.”