Election 2022: Liberals challenge Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles over stance on China

Labor’s deputy leader Richard Marles has vowed his party “will stand up to China” if elected, rejecting claims by Scott Morrison it has downplayed the threat to security in the Pacific.

Richard Marles has been forced to defend Labor’s position on China, as recriminations over Beijing establishing a base in the Pacific dominated day 12 of the election campaign.

The emergence of comments from Mr Marles, where he appeared to downplay the risk of a foreign power such as China establishing a military base in the Pacific, gave the government ammunition to attack the deputy Labor leader.

Australia and its allies including the US have been rattled by a security pact signed by Solomon Islands and China which they fear will give Beijing a vital military toehold in the region.

Mr Marles’ comments from a book published last year – Tides That Bind: Australia in the Pacific – set the tone for the day’s political contest, as the Coalition accused Labor of being weak on China.

A China Police Liason Team officer (centre) trains Solomon Island police officers in unarmed combat skills. Picture: AFP / Royal Solomon Islands Police Force

In the book, Mr Marles – widely tipped to be defence minister should Labor win the election – warned that “basing our actions in the Pacific on an attempt to strategically deny China would be a historic mistake’’.

“Rather than worrying about the prospect of foreign military bases in the region, our real call to arms must be the Pacific’s performance against MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), and the associated and real risk that it will become entrenched as the least developed part of the world,” he wrote.

Mr Morrison on Friday accused Mr Marles of “advocating’’ for China to sign a security pact in the Pacific as he sought to deflect criticism of the Solomons deal.

“I find it outrageous that Labor would criticise us when their own Deputy Leader was actually advocating what the Chinese Government has been seeking to do in our region,’’ Mr Morrison said.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing, China, in 2019. Picture: Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty

Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles has been challenged over comments he made about China in a book he wrote. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Labor hit back by pointing to an economic speech Mr Morrison gave as Treasurer in Beijing in 2017, where he expressed enthusiasm for China’s ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure program, and noted “China provides a real stability to the regional and frankly the world economic and stable growth from China is good news for Australia and the global economy.’’

With Mr Albanese sidelined with Covid, Labor’s leadership team stepped up to deflect the accusations, with frontbencher Jason Clare and Penny Wong criticising the Coalition over the China/Solomons deal being done “on Scott Morrison’s watch.

Mr Clare the new deal was an “epic fail’’ on foreign policy and he fully expected Mr Morrison to try to find someone else to blame for it.

In an interview with News Corp, Mr Marles said if Labor came to power “we would completely stand up to China and we would do the work to make sure that’s reflected not just in words but in actions.’’

He noted Labor had opposed the Coalitions’ efforts to strike an extradition treaty with Beijing – a move abandoned when Liberal MPs also expressed concern. Labor had also opposed to sale of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese-government backed company.

US National Security Council's Indo-Pacific co-ordinator Kurt Campbell (centre) leaves a meeting with the Solomon Islands government in Honiara. Picture: Mavis Podokolo/AFP

As concerns over the deal grow, the United States on Friday sent a delegation led by Indo-Pacific senior adviser Kirk Campbell to Honiara.

AFP reported the White House delegation headed into the capital to meet Government representatives while nearby, China’s Ambassador attended a ceremony with Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare to hand over a running track, part of a China-funded national stadium complex worth an estimated $72 million.

“I’ve said consistently that China is seeking to shape the world around it in a way that we have never seen before, and that represents huge challenges to Australia,’’ Mr Marles said.

He said Australia needed to “get our hard power right’’ and the most important thing the country could do “in terms of standing up to China’’ was ensure we had a “highly-capable, long-range submarine as a successor to the Collins Class as soon as possible.’’

Got a story tip? Email us at [e-mail]

Know some goss or seen something in your electorate? Contact us at [e-mail]