China and Russia an ‘Unholy Alliance’: Australian Defence Minister

Australian Minister of Defense Peter Dutton speaks at a news conference in Washington, United States, on Sept. 16, 2021. Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton has warned of an “unholy alliance” between China and Russia that threatens Australia and the Indo-Pacific region with the kind of catastrophe not seen since World War II.

“We know that our nation is facing the most complex and potentially catastrophic regional security environment since the Second World War. The threat now posed by the Chinese government aggression is very real and ... it’s growing,” Dutton said on the floor of the federal parliament on Feb. 10.

“We’ve seen an unholy alliance between the Chinese government and the Russian government with President Putin—and both countries have been very open about that relationship.

“That should, I think, cause great concern right across the world, but in particular, in our own region,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pose for a photograph during their meeting in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022. Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

The comments come a day after the boss of ASIO, Australia’s spy agency, warned that a foreign country had sought to interfere with Australia’s federal elections due to take place by May.

In his annual threat assessment speech on Feb. 9, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess revealed the security agency had disrupted an operation by an unnamed foreign government to back electoral candidates thought to be pliable or who might already support the interfering country.

“I can confirm that ASIO recently detected and disrupted a foreign interference plot in the lead-up to an election in Australia,” Burgess said.

The political candidates targeted in the plot were unaware of the scheme, he said.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess preparing for his annual speech at ASIO headquarters in Canberra Wednesday, March 17, 2021. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Burgess also revealed that ASIO had detected other foreign interference attempts at all levels of government and in all states and territories in Australia.

The revelations led Dutton to declare, during Question Time in parliament on Thursday, that the foreign power was the Chinese regime and alleged they had “picked” national Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese as “their candidate” for prime minister.

The manager of opposition business, Tony Burke MP, called for a point of order citing precedent on house speakers ruling on unparliamentary language pertaining to “anything that goes to whether or not people are, in fact, guilty of treason, sedition, or anything against the national security.”

Dutton said he had not made any allegations against Albanese but was reflecting on the “publicly reported” comments by ASIO boss Burgess and “the actions of the Chinese government.”

“That is the context in which I made the comment, and it is perfectly in order,” he said. “It might be uncomfortable to those opposite.”

Hours after making those remarks, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation published an article citing anonymous “intelligence sources familiar with the matter,” who purportedly claim that Russia was behind the plot.

The following day, on Feb. 11, Dutton doubled down on his assertion.

“There’s no doubt in my mind about the statement that I made yesterday and I think there needs to be a greater awareness, frankly, particularly from the Labor Party, about the engagement of people who don’t have our national interests at heart. That’s the reality of the situation,” he told ABC Radio National.

‘Like-Minded’ Allies Strengthen Ties

The heated parliamentary debate broke out while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Australia to meet with his Australian, Indian, and Japanese counterparts in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad.

The Quad has sought to counter China’s belligerence and ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region and ensure a free and open rules-based international order with like-minded liberal democracies.

Dutton held up the Quad as an example of how the Morrison government has been working “very closely together with partners,” noting that many countries, including in Europe and North America, were “worried about what is happening in the Indo-Pacific.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens as he is introduced to speak at a mission Australia meet and greet in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 10, 2022. Kevin Lamarque/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“This government has invested more into our defences and to keep our country safe into the future. We did that off an incredibly low base because Labor when they were last in government, cut funding to Defense to the bone. That’s the reality,” Dutton said.

“They want to pretend now that somehow there’s no difference between the two parties when it comes to defending our nation in the next decade and the decade beyond. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Dutton said there was no one “less prepared” to put themselves forward as a potential prime minister “when it comes to the issue of national security” than Albanese.

The office of Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese did not respond to a request for comment on matters relating to national security and geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific.