As Anthony Albanese prepares to sit down with Pacific leaders in Palau, Michael McLaren says Australia needs to be more wary of China and its interests as Australia and its markets grow more and more heavily reliant on the global superpower.

His warning comes following rumours of the Pacific Islands Forum suffering from interference from China, and warnings from other leaders about the Chinese expansion manipulating markets, namely the electric vehicle market.

“Australia must be open-eyed about the potential consequences of continued Chinese expansion,” he said.

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