AUSMIN: Leading American and Australian officials to meet in Washington DC
Foreign Minister Marise Payne will lead an Australian delegation meeting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other high-level American officials in their annual talks.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Australia will be urged to step up its presence in the South China Sea during high level defence talks with the Trump administration in the US.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds have travelled to Washington DC where on Tuesday night they were to discuss security, economic and health issues with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper at the annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations.
Observers expected the US would ask Australia to ramp up its activity in the disputed South China Sea region as tensions with Beijing rise.
MORE NEWS
Potts Point COVID cases linked, PM staffer in isolation
How NSW is doing better than Victoria in the COVID fight
Business calls for radical action as budget faces $850b debt
Australian warships had an unplanned encounter with China’s navy this month as they sailed close to contested islands claimed by Beijing.
Speaking ahead of the meeting Ms Payne said Australia’s relationship with the US was its “most important” in terms of security in the Pacific region.
“I think the strength of the alliance places us well to respond to what are immense health and economic and security challenges within the region, particularly in light of COVID-19,” she said.
Ms Payne said the Australian Defence Force and the US navy were “well versed” in how to deal with any tensions that could arise from conducting military exercises in the South China Sea.
Labor’s Defence spokesman Richard Marles said freedom of navigation operations “should be on the table” during US talks.
“As an island trading nation the freedom of the high seas is very important,” he said. “And it’s no more important for Australia than in the South China Sea where most of our trade traverses.”
Following the encounter with China’s navy in the South China Sea, the Australian Government publicly declared there was “no legal basis” to Beijing’s claim over the region.
China issued a firey response, accusing Australia of “recklessly making provocations” and blindly following the US. State-owned newspaper The Global Times declared Australia’s comments warranted sanctions on beef and wine exports as diplomacy between the two nations had broken down.