China's ScoMo dig to Albanese after 'bleak' development

Chinese state media has suggested there is little hope for Sino-Australian relations in the wake of Defence Minister Richard Marles' calculated words over the weekend.

Beijing mouthpiece the Global Times, which took a far more pessimistic stance over Prime Minister Anthony Albanese election victory than China's foreign ministry, said the Labor leader was following in the footsteps of former prime minister Scott Morrison.

Mr Morrison, alongside his vocal defence minister Peter Dutton, were key players in the rapid deterioration of relations, regularly accusing China of coercion and bullying tactics.

And while Mr Marles' address at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore on Saturday was a far cry from the brash commentary of Mr Dutton, which China branded fear-mongering tactics, he warned China's rapid territorial expansion could not be ignored.

"Chinese militarisation of features in the South China Sea needs to be understood for what it is: the intent to deny the legitimacy of its neighbours’ claims in this vital international waterway through force," he said.

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Mr Marles later met with China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, and while it marked the first diplomatic meeting between the two countries in over two years, Mr Marles said there was a long way to go to improve relations.

Global Times not hopeful of a reset

Late on Sunday, the Global Times published an opinion piece slamming the Albanese government for its commitment to the US as the ugly U-turn on Australia's France submarine deal finally came to a close with a $583 million settlement.

"Albanese is following the footsteps of his predecessor in this regard, that is, to strengthen military ties with the US and UK," the nationalistic tabloid said.

"Australia's unshakable consideration of China as an important imaginary enemy is rooted in the US' control of the AUKUS alliance and Australia's position in the US' blueprint as the backbone of its Indo-Pacific strategy," it quoted Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping as saying.

The Global Times said Mr Marles' comments on Saturday sent "bleak signals" to Beijing, while warning Australia must distance itself from the US if relations are to return to a "healthy" state.

Song said Mr Marles' remarks made it clear Australia was "unrealistic" when it came to Sino-Australian relations saying Canberra is "still taking the US view of international security and order to lecture China".

Mr Marles said his one-hour meet with Mr Wei allowed for a "frank and full" discussion, adding he raised Australia's concerns over the interception of an Australian aircraft by a Chinese war plane last month.

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