http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-03/steve-bannon-says-china-is-at-economic-war-with-west/10174604
Donald Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon predicts working-class revolt in Australia as China rises
Key points:
Mr Bannon plans on taking his economic nationalist message to Australia before the next election
He says Mr Trump confronting China was key to his successful appeal to voters
He rejects the idea his ideology is racist, saying US workers are 'finally standing up for themselves'
Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has criticised Australia's approach to an aggressive China, labelling it weak and saving his most blunt assessment for former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
"People are going to be held accountable in the next 10 or 20 years about 'what did you know about China?', 'how did you accommodate it?'" he said.
"They absolutely have to be confronted now. Turnbull has been way too much of an appeaser."
In an exclusive interview with Four Corners, Mr Bannon identified Australia as the "canary in the mineshaft" — a warning of the consequences of not standing up to China.
"Australia can show you when good and decent people kind of play by the rules and the next thing they look around and many of the economic resources and economic assets of a country are owned by another country," he said.
"China thinks of the United States and Australia in the same way. They think we're tributary states."
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"That's where the anger came from. The working class and the middle class, particularly lower middle class say, 'no, we believe America can return to its former glory'," he said.
"The elites in our country, just like the elites in Australia, said the rise of China is inexorable. It's the second law of thermodynamics. It's part of the physical universe.
"You know what Trump said? 'I don't think so'."
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"I think Donald Trump, I think the country's prepared to do what the country has to do. This is about bringing jobs back and high value-added jobs that bring worth and dignity to workers and they can actually have one income that maybe will support a family," he said.
Australia ripe for working-class revolt
Mr Bannon has continued to campaign for Mr Trump's economic nationalist message in the US and overseas, despite the relationship between the two men souring.
He played a key role in Britain's Brexit campaign and has also forged links with right and left-wing nationalist groups across Europe. He now plans on bringing his crusade to Australia before the next federal election.
"There's a lot of anger out there and I think that this anger can be harnessed," he said.
He says Australia is ripe for the same working-class revolt.
"Australia is going to be a hotbed of populism. Just knowing that cussedness and grit of the Australian people," he said.