Defence minister warns Australia must face 'inconvenient truths' about China
Speaking of China's rapid military build up in the region, the defence minister warned: 'You don't do that for no reason'.
The Australian defence minister has issued a stark reminder, warning of the "complex" ties between Australia and China saying we must "look at the entire picture" when considering future relations between the two countries as alarm about a regional arms race continues.
In a speech delivered at a defence summit on Monday night, Richard Marles said the nation needs to face "inconvenient truths" about our giant neighbour to the north. While China remains "Australia's most significant trading partner", it's also "a source of significant anxiety in the Indo-Pacific" thanks to its rapid military expansion, he said.
Speaking on ABC Radio on Tuesday, Marles said China's military expansion is "the largest conventional military build-up that we've seen in any country in the world since the end of the second world war".
"You don't do that for no reason," he warned.
Australia is on track to "stabilise" the relationship, which he claims was significantly damaged under the previous federal government, but Marles predicted it will be a "complex and difficult task" in the years ahead.
China 'at the heart of Australia's economic growth'
Despite tensions between China and Australia's allies, as well as fears the Communist Party will invade Taiwan in the coming years, we still have a lot to gain from a rising China.
"We really need to look at the entire picture when it comes to China. China is a huge opportunity for our country and it remains as such being our largest trading partner," the defence minister said.
"That fact is, China has been at the heart of our economic growth for a number of decades and we've all been beneficiaries of that, but there is a very significant military build-up and it's having a shape on our region and indeed the world." The defence minister said Australia will "work with China where we can" but we will also "disagree with them where we must" for the benefit of Australia's national security.
However disagreement could lead to a major maritime problem for Australia.
Supply chains must remain open with China
Marles said the defence force needs to focus on keeping Australia's maritime supply chains open with a significant portion of trade and resources arriving to Australia via sea – something which China could seek to destabilise.
The country's increasing assertiveness in the area has not gone unnoticed.
Marles noted that China's militarisation of the South China Sea with artificial islands was in contravention of international laws and was an example "of how China has, over the last decade, sought to shape the world around it in a way it has not done before".
"This is a massive expansion of the Chinese military and it is happening without any transparent explanation to the region or the world about its purpose," he said.
However during his speech, the minister argued the many issues facing Australia's relationship with China – such as human rights abuses – shouldn't be viewed through "simplistic platitudes".
"There are significant human rights issues in China. All of us have been vigilant in raising these issues at every occasion," he said. "By the same token, China's growth story has played a crucial role in the single biggest alleviation of poverty in human history. Never mentioning it doesn't mean that it didn't happen."
'Diplomacy doesn't always succeed'
Mr Dutton also spoke at the event, warning against the government relying too much on diplomacy to protect the nation against China's rapid military expansion.
"When we apply democratic standards to authoritarian regimes, we slip into a dangerous denial of these regimes' true behaviour and intent," he said.
"We must be cognisant that despite the best minds and efforts, diplomacy doesn't always succeed — as much as we hope it always will. So while we continue with our strenuous efforts in diplomacy, we must put the accelerator down on defence deterrence."
with AAP
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