‘China not a threat’: Australian Government forced to clarify after Defence Minister’s remarks
DOES Australia agree with the US that China is a bigger threat to national security than terrorism? It seems it depends on whom you ask within the government, and when.
National
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DEFENCE Minister Marise Payne has been forced to clarify that Australia does not view China as a bigger threat to national security than terrorism.
It comes after the senior Turnbull Government minister backed a new US Defence Strategy over the weekend which named China and Russia as greater threats to America’s security than Islamic extremists.
Senator Payne had told The Weekend Australian that while terrorism would remain a threat, and rising powers had the right to question and seek to adjust the existing order, Australia held similar concerns to the US.
“It is for the US to determine what is of concern in relation to its national security, but I would note that Australia shares similar concerns,’’ she told the publication.
She said some states were seeking to disrupt the current global order by using “proxies, covert and paramilitary operations, economic coercion, cyber-attacks and misinformation and media manipulation’’.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and Senator Payne were forced to defend Australia’s position today as the government announced a major funding boost for Defence aimed at making Australia one of the biggest arms exporters in the world.
Ms Bishop directly contradicted any implication of shared concerns, saying Australia had a different perspective on Russia and China to the US.
“We do not see Russia or China as posing a military threat to Australia,” Ms Bishop told Sky News.
“We continue to work closely with China,” she said.
“We undertake military exercises with China as well as other countries in the region and will continue to do so.”
Mr Turnbull also defended Senator Payne’s remarks on the US strategy, saying she never said Russia or China were bigger threats than terrorism.
He also clarified that the funding boost for a defence export industry was not aimed at combating a regional threat.
“Apart from North Korea, there is no country in the region that shows any hostile intent towards Australia,” he said.
“So we don’t see threats from our neighbours in the region.
“But nonetheless, every country must always plan ahead and you need to build the capabilities to defend yourself, not just today, but in 10 years or 20 years hence.”
Mr Turnbull said there was a “clear and present danger” from terrorism both at home and overseas which Australia would continue to support efforts to fight.
Senator Payne later directly confronted her earlier remarks.
“I want to be very clear that Australia doesn’t see a threat in the region and we certainly don’t see China as a threat,” she told reporters in Sydney.
The senator also said the US strategy referred to ‘inter-state strategic competition’ as the primary concern and “not a threat as has been reported by some”.
Senator Payne also said that Australia was “clear-eyed” about “strategic competition between powers”, and had the latest Defence White Paper had identified that as one of the key issues going forward.