Deputy Premier Ben Carroll has publicly rebuked his former boss, Daniel Andrews, for posing in a photograph alongside dictators and alleged war criminals, saying it wasn’t worth it to further his personal business interests.

It comes as Andrews publicly responded to his appearance for the first time, saying the event was a chance to meet with regional leaders, and defended his stance on geopolitical issues such as the war in Ukraine.

Andrews said in a statement released Thursday afternoon that attending the Chinese military parade to celebrate 80 years since the end of World War II “was a chance to meet and engage with regional leaders – like former New Zealand prime ministers John Key and Helen Clark, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and, of course, Chinese President Xi. We also s

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