Albanese’s tough task at Europe’s top table

News Snapshot:

It’s a big gig. But unlike other recent Australian prime ministers, Albanese’s job isn’t to wake the Europeans up to the China challenge. Their eyes are open. Many NATO governments, and the EU itself, now have an Indo-Pacific strategy, and many have already had a recent taste of tit-for-tat diplomatic jousting with Beijing. Sometimes Europe is even a front-runner. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s new term for relations with China, “de-risking”, has become common rhetorical currency in the West, replacing more abrasive US terms such as “decoupling”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has a big NATO task ahead. Alex...