Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on the world to protect the current international rules-based order from the ambitions of the Chinese regime.
On Oct. 26, the prime minister delivered a keynote address at a state lunch co-hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“China has been explicit: it does not see itself as a status-quo power,” Mr. Albanese said.
“It seeks a region and a world that is much more accommodating of its values and interests. This is where it is the responsibility of every nation that has benefited from the stability and prosperity of the international rules-based order through the last three-quarters of a century, to work together and protect it.”
Mr. Albanese also touched on Australia’s role in promoting dialogue between the U.S. government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP.)
“As a constructive middle power with global interests, we understand the value and importance of dialogue. Which is why Australia strongly supports the Biden Administration’s efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China,” he said.
The prime minister reaffirmed that AUKUS—a trilateral security partnership between the United States, the UK, and Australia—is not about provoking the Chinese regime but rather maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific Region and South China Sea.
AUKUS was announced in late 2021 as a means of consolidating Western defensive capabilities.
Under the agreement, the United States and the UK will assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, and will collaborate on advanced areas such as cyber, undersea capabilities, and quantum technology.
Mr. Albanese said Australia’s approach to relations with the CCP had been “patient, calibrated and deliberate” and would continue during his visit Beijing and Shanghai in early November.
The prime minister will touch down in the Chinese capital on Nov. 4 when he will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. He will then travel to Shanghai where he will attend the China International Import Expo.
After the Morrison government’s call for an inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCP rolled out an economic coercion campaign against Australian exporters, imposing sanctions on a wide range of agricultural products including barley, beef, cotton, lamb, lobsters, timber, and wine.
Chinese Militarisation
The CCP has made efforts to rapidly bolster the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) over the past decade.An annual Pentagon report to Congress found the PLA’s nuclear arsenal contained over 500 warheads with the potential to reach 1000 by the end of the year.
The PLA is the world’s largest active-duty military force consisting of approximately 2.185 million active, 1.17 million reserve, and 660,000 paramilitary personnel for a total of 4 million.
It also possesses the largest navy in the world numerically with over 370 ships and submarines, comprising more than 140 major surface combatants.
In August 2022, in response to former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the PLA fired several rockets over the democratic island.
The CCP has also swiftly militarised the South China Sea over the past five years. In March 2022, it fully armed three artificial island bases it built with anti-vessel and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment, as well as fighter jets.
Chinese J-20 stealth fighters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) perform at the Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai in southern China's Guangdong province on November 8, 2022. - China OUT CNS/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. Admiral and commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command John Aquilino is particularly concerned.
“I think over the past 20 years we’ve witnessed the largest military buildup since World War Ⅱ by the PRC [People’s Republic of China]. They have advanced all their capabilities and that buildup of weaponisation is destabilising the region,” he said.
Mr. Aquilino also rebuked claims from Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang earlier this year that the United States and Chinese regimes are destined to follow each other into war if Washington were to continue down its current path.
Mr. Aquilino clarified that the United States does not seek to ignite military conflict with the CCP.
“First and foremost, the United States is not seeking conflict in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mr. Aquilino said at an event in Singapore in March.
“Second, we do not seek to contain the People’s Republic of China … Third, the United States has not changed our policies toward Taiwan, and we do not support independence.”
Both the United States and Australia adhere to the CCP’s One China Policy—the principle that there is a single sovereign state under the name China—and thus do not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent nation.
However, both Western nations maintain an “unofficial” relationship with Taiwan, promoting economic, trade, and cultural interests.
