Australian diplomacy tested by Indonesia, China rows


  • World
  • Thursday, 28 Nov 2013

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks at a breakfast meeting in Jakarta October 1, 2013. Abbott is on a two-day visit to Indonesia. REUTERS/Supri

SYDNEY (Reuters) - When Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott swept to power in September's general election, his promise of a foreign policy that was "more Jakarta than Geneva" raised hopes of a new era of engagement with powerful Asian neighbours.

Less than three months into the job, Abbott's conservative government is embroiled in the worst diplomatic rift with Indonesia since the turn of the century and China, its biggest trade partner, is complaining bitterly about Australian comments regarding fresh tensions in the East China Sea.

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