Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard told Sky News, Beijing is “using Australia as a proxy punching bag” for the United States. As one of Australia’s longest-serving prime ministers, Howard made efforts to deepen the nation’s relationship with China. But since leaving office in 2007, he has perceived Beijing to become more “aggressive,” resulting in a change in its attitude towards the rest of the world. “The leadership of China 15 years ago, its attitude to the rest of the world was one of co-operation,” he said on March 4. “That’s not the case now.” Howard believes Australia did not ruin its relationship with China, contrary to some politicians who accused the Liberal coalition government of contributing to the Australia-China relationship breakdown. “I don’t think Australia has mucked up the relationship with China,” he said. “I think China has decided to be more aggressive.” “You can’t just pick up the …