Scott Morrison calls out China’s ‘needlessly provocative’ and ‘dangerous’ military conduct

Scott Morrison has warned China‘s “needlessly provocative” and ”dangerous” military conduct is disturbing the status quo in our region.

Scott Morrison has warned China‘s “needlessly provocative” and ”dangerous” military conduct is disturbing the status quo in our region.

In an address to the Lowy Institute in Canberra today, the Prime Minister said China needed to reconsider its position on the war in Ukraine.

“China’s growing power and influence are a geo-strategic fact. What we care about is how Beijing uses its strength,‘’ Mr Morrison said.

“There’s no doubt that China has become more assertive, and is using its power in ways that are causing concern to nations across the region and beyond.

“We are concerned at the militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea, where international law should apply - as it does everywhere else. And we are concerned about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. ”

Mr Morrison said there was no doubt that China was engaging in activities that were concerning.

“Australia has long supported the status quo that has underpinned regional security and prosperity. That status quo is disturbed by China’s military actions,‘’ he said.

“A few weeks ago, we saw a Chinese naval ship in the Arafura Sea, irresponsibly pointing a military-grade laser at an Australian Defence Force aircraft. This is needlessly provocative – and very dangerous.

“The crisis that now grips Europe heralds a moment of choice for China. Under Mr Putin, Russia has chosen the path of violence and seeking to overturn the global order.

“The early signs are not good as, following the Xi-Putin meeting in Beijing at the Olympics, the Chinese Government has acted to throw Putin’s Russia an economic lifeline, relaxing trade restrictions on Russian wheat. China’s language has also pretended to be an equivalence of interests, and even a ‘legitimate’ cause for Russia to invade Ukraine.

Mr Morrison said there was no doubt that China was engaging in activities that were concerning.

“No country would have a greater impact on Russia than China joining the rest of the world in denouncing Russia’s aggression and applying the same sanctions. So far they have not.”

Mr Morrison said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bloody attacks in Ukraine were simply the “latest example of an authoritarian regime seeking to challenge the status quo through threats and violence.”

“Our rules-based international order, built upon the principles and values that guide our own nation, has for decades supported peace and stability, and allowed sovereign nations to pursue their interests free from coercion. This is now under assault.

“A new arc of autocracy is instinctively aligning to challenge and reset the world order in their own image.”

And he has warned Australians to expect a long, protracted war in Europe.

“We expect Russia to continue its brutal attacks, including bombarding residential areas, even nuclear facilities, with scant regard for civilian casualties or the broader catastrophic impact,’’ he says.

“This is what autocrats do. It is not the product of a sudden madness or a failure of earlier diplomacy to resolve just grievances.

“These are the bloody and violent acts of an autocrat determined to impose his will on others, in the contrived self justification of realising nationalistic destiny. We have seen this before.

“Everything points to a bloody and protracted conflict.

“We have offered our prayers, but we have also sent our ammunition.”

Mr Morrison warned “Europe has had a major wake-up call – strategically and economically.”

“The strategic, political, economic and social implications of this crisis will be deeply felt in Europe, but will inevitably stretch to the Indo-Pacific.

“Australia is an Indo-Pacific nation. The future of the Indo-Pacific is our future.

“Threats in our region are proliferating from both state and non-state actors.

Scott Morrison has warned China‘s “needlessly provocative” and ”dangerous” military conduct is disturbing the status quo in our region.

“The challenge from more surreptitious malign activities – espionage, disinformation, cyber-attacks, foreign interference, and economic coercion – is mounting daily.

“We’re seeing increasing resort in our region to ‘grey area’ tactics – where the boundary between legitimate and hostile activity is deliberately blurred.

“Australia seeks to work with all countries to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

“However, we cannot be naive.

“The challenges we face continue to mount. They require us to increase our resilience, expand our capabilities and harden our defences.”

Originally published as Scott Morrison calls out China’s ‘needlessly provocative’ and ‘dangerous’ military conduct