China is gripped by insecurity, Australia's most senior diplomat says | ZAWYA MENA Edition

CANBERRA – China is insecure and defensive which means it perceives threats where there are none, Australia’s most senior diplomat said on Wednesday. Frances Adamson, Secretary of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said China seeks to project strength, but the reality is somewhat different. “Few really grasp that this great power is still dogged by insecurity as much as driven by ambition. That it has a deeply defensive mindset – perceiving external threats even as it pushes its interests over those of others,” Adamson said in a speech in Canberra before she leaves office this week. “It is…