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Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton emphasized Beijing’s differences in behavior, saying the world has witnessed patterns of “warning” activity in the Communist Party administration and has heightened concerns.
“We are now familiar with the Chinese government’s frequent claims that we are working on peace, cooperation and development,” Dutton said in a speech at the National Press Club on Friday. And “progress” is a refrain from the general Chinese government.
“Still we have witnessed a serious disconnect between rhetoric and reality between words and actions,” he said.
The reality, according to Dutton, is that the Chinese government is “unfortunately” forcing countries to use the power of security, trade, the economy, the media and the Internet to meet their demands.
Dutton warned that without opposition, Beijing would dominate the Indo-Pacific region, which made Australia prosperous and secure if China invaded Taiwan and tried to expand further.
“If Taiwan is occupied, there is no doubt that the Senkaku Islands will come next,” Dutton said.
“Don’t rely on your imagination. The Chinese government couldn’t make it any clearer, not necessarily in their words, but certainly in their actions,” he said.
I point out that the regional order that underlies our prosperity and security changes very rapidly.
Defense Ministers have outlined some of Beijing’s “warning” actions that contradict their words.
This included establishing 20 outposts in the South China Sea and dismissing The Hague’s 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration’s decision on claims of historical rights in the same sea.
He pointed out that China’s PLA has sent more and more military aircraft to Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, using fishing vessels aboard militias to invade the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. In addition, tensions between the border between China and India and the East China Sea and Japan are increasing.
Other actions in the Asian region, according to Dutton, include abolishing the solemn international commitment of the “one country, two systems” framework when Beijing imposes national security law on Hong Kong. rice field.
Looking at the issues of Australia and China, the Defense Minister pointed out the trade barriers Beijing imposed on Australia’s imports and said it undermines collective confidence in China’s commitment to global free trade and investment. This has been widely regarded as an economic coercion in retaliation for Australia seeking to investigate the origin of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that causes COVID-19 disease.
Dutton also noted that “creating a propaganda image depicting an Australian soldier killing a child in Afghanistan” and that the Chinese embassy in Canberra has issued documents for 14 disputes with Australia. bottom. Make sovereign decisions and refrain from acting for their own benefit. “
In addition, Mr Dutton said Australia and many other countries called on Beijing’s Department of Homeland Security in July for repeated cyber activities against foreign governments and commercial institutions.
Earlier this year, the CCP’s mouthpiece, Global Times, published an editorial suggesting that China would launch a missile in Australia if it intervened in a conflict in Taiwan.
In his speech, Dutton said China had accumulated more than 2,000 ground-launched ballistic missiles and ground-launched cruise missiles with a range of up to 5,500 kilometers. Its warhead stockpile is projected to reach 700 and 1,000 over the next 10 years.
“All major Australian cities, including Hobart, are within range of Chinese missiles,” Dutton said.
Australia is in the midst of intensifying strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region, but when the signs are heading for conflict, Dutton said “all nations of goodwill” must move away from the cliff.
“Australia’s position is clear. Conflicts must be avoided,” he said.
In response, the Chinese embassy in Australia accused Dutton of preaching an unrealistic “misunderstanding of China’s foreign policy.”
Their statement argued that relations between China and Australia would not improve unless the Australian government changed its policies.
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Caden Pearson is an Australian-based reporter with a background in screen writing and documentary. Contact him at [email protected]
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