Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has called on business leaders not to focus on short-term gains, but instead, work towards minimising Beijing’s influence on supply chains. In a speech to Policy Exchange, a right-leaning think tank in the United Kingdom, the former prime minister also conceded that his government was too naïve in its dealings with Beijing in 2014, when the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement was signed off. “As Australia has found, the Beijing government sees trade as a strategic weapon to be turned on and off like a tap to reward friends,” Abbott said. “In my judgement, it should be every business’ concern to minimise the critical place that Chinese intermediate goods might have in our supply chains, lest they be denied just when they’re needed most,” he added. “That’s not to deny that by and large, a business should minimise its costs and maximises its quality and …