Scott Morrison’s Lowy address: PM clarifies China comments, says Australia faces “new and challenging world”

Scott Morrison has taken aim at the UN and its push to set the world’s agenda on climate change, as he backtracked on recent comments he made about China’s international responsibilities.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has clarified he meant to “compliment” not “criticise” China when he urged the Asian powerhouse to shoulder more international responsibilities - including emissions reductions - as a “developed economy”.

In his Lowy address Thursday night, Mr Morrison said his comments in Chicago last month that China was a “developed economy” - a description rejected by Chinese state media - was not meant to offend.

“China has in many ways changed the world, so we would expect the terms of its engagement to change too,” he said.

“That’s why when we look at negotiating rules of the future of the global economy, for example, we would expect China’s obligations to reflect its greater power status.

“This is a compliment, not a criticism.”

Scott Morrison and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Morrison said he meant to “compliment” not “criticise” China when he urged it to shoulder more international responsibilities. Picture: PMO

The PM said Australia was facing a “new and challenging world” and must promote stability in the region by championing “the common interest of sovereignty and independence as the natural antidote to any possible threat of regional hegemony”.

“(Australia must) maintain our unique relationships with the United States - our most important ally - and China - our comprehensive strategic partner - in good order, by rejecting the binary narrative of their strategic competition and instead valuing and nurturing the unconflicted benefit of our close association,” he said.

Mr Morrison also used his speech to announce he would visit India in January 2020 to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“My visit will be another step in cementing India in the top tier of Australia’s partnerships,” he said.

“The visit ... will bring Government and business together to pursue our India Economic Strategy that has captured the attention of our Indian partners and must now be realised.”

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Mr Morrison also appeared to hit out at organisations such as the UN, saying Australia’s interests would not be served by “international institutions” demanding conformity.

“The world works best when the character and distinctiveness of independent nations is preserved within a framework of mutual respect,” he said.

“We should avoid any reflex towards a negative globalism that coercively seeks to impose a mandate from an often ill defined borderless global community.

“And worse still, an unaccountable internationalist bureaucracy.

“Only a national government, especially one accountable through the ballot box and the rule of law, can define its national interests. We can never answer to a higher authority than the people of Australia.”

He said Australia had played its part over the generations to build a better world through “co-operative and respectful internationalism”.

But he warned that pragmatic international engagement was giving way to a new order that sought to “elevate ­global institutions above the authority of nation states to direct ­national policies”.

Originally published as Scott Morrison’s Lowy address: PM clarifies China comments, says Australia faces “new and challenging world”