Federal election 2022: China and Australia’s national security – watch our online roundtable debate

Australian national security has dominated headlines, notably from China seeking to expand its footprint. Watch our online roundtable debate now.

China may pose a long-term threat to Australia as it seeks to expand its footprint through the South China Sea and across the Pacific, an expert says.

Four of the country’s leading experts on security, defence and cybersecurity have joined News Corp’s Joe Hildebrand for a robust debate on Australia’s national security ahead of the federal election.

When asked about the risk China posed to Australia in light of Beijing’s security pact with the Solomon Islands, Dr Marcus Hellyer, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said he was more concerned about the “immediate threat” to the Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Picture: AFP

“Obviously if China starts to build on its presence and establish something more akin to a (naval) base, it’s something we need to be concerned about,” he said.

“In the shorter term, I’m much more concerned about the threat to the Solomon Islands.

“I think Prime Minister Sogavare is opening the door to an increased Chinese military or security presence to shore up his own position in the Solomon Islands.”

Host Joe Hildebrand was joined by Neil James - Executive Director, Australia Defence Association, Sam Roggeveen, Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, ANU Professor Lesley Seebeck and Dr Marcus Hellyer from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Watch replay above.

Dr Hellyer said China’s move threatened democracy and free elections in the South Pacific nation, which could be “stuck with Sogavare and his Chinese armed forces for a long time to come”.

“We really don’t want a standing Chinese presence in the South Pacific, not just because of the threat to Australia but it undermines democracy and institutions in the South Pacific,” he said.

Xiao Qian, China's ambassador to Australia.

“As we go down the track, we can imagine scenarios where the Chinese might base ships there and aircraft and long range missiles.

“That has always been an Australian strategic planner’s nightmare scenario.

“I don’t think we want to panic just yet, but it’s an outcome we certainly want to be preventing.” 

Dr Hellyer also described Beijing as “acting on the boundary between legal and illegal” in the case of the Chinese spy ship that was spotted off the coast of Western Australia.

On the issue of Defence’s preparedness, Neil James, executive director of the Australia Defence Association, said the worsening international situation posed new challenges.

“I think we’re finding ourselves greatly troubled by the fact that we have a Defence Force configured for the problems that we thought we had in the 1990s and early 2000s and then the operations being conducted over the last two decades,” he said.

“Rather than we have a Defence Force configured, equipped and logistically prepared for the type of situation we might face over the next couple of decades.

The debate also touched on the issue of cyber interference, with ANU Professor Lesley Seebeck urging caution when it comes to news feeds in the run-up to the federal election.

Professor Leslie said people should always be aware that the information they receive is constantly being channelled and sorted.

Understanding how particular algorithms are shaping news feeds is just as important as determining sources, she said.