Scott Morrison declares Australia will not be ‘forced’ to chose between US and China
Scott Morrison says Australia will not be “forced” to choose a side as tensions continue to escalate between the US and China.
National
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Ausralia won’t be “forced” to choose a side as tensions escalate between the United States and China, the Prime Minister warned on Monday night.
Scott Morrison also cautioned against global powers returning to Cold War-era divisions as Beijing continued to gain power.
In a speech to the British Policy Exchange, Mr Morrison said Australia would advocate for its own interests in the region.
The PM said Australia was looking out for its own interests in the Indo-Pacific and any assertions otherwise were “false and needlessly deteriorates relationships”.
He said Australia wanted an open and mutually beneficial relationship with China, while also maintaining a close alliance with the US.
“Pursuing these interests … is not straightforward,” Mr Morrison said. “It is made more complex by the assumptions cast on Australia’s actions.
“Our actions are wrongly seen and interpreted by some only through the lens of the strategic competition between China and the United States.
“It’s as if Australia does not have its own unique interests or views as an independent sovereign state. ”
Speaking at the virtual event, during which Mr Morrison accepted the inaugural Grotius Award for his work on the global stage, he said all nations needed to take a more “nuanced” approach to modern geopolitics.
“Stark choices are in no one’s interests,” he said. “Greater latitude will be required from the world’s largest powers to accommodate the individual interests of their partners and allies. We all need a bit more room to move.”
Mr Morrison spoke about the COVID-19 “economic meteor” and argued it was not economic institutions that had failed the world this year but a poor global health system.
He said there needed to be an “effective warning and an integrated response” when the next pandemic struck.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who Mr Morrison called a “good friend,” also spoke at the event.
Mr Morrison used his address to spruik former Finance Minister Mathias Cormann in his bid to become the next Secretary-General of the OECD.
“Mathias is a compelling package,” he said.
More Coverage
Out-of-control fire threatens lives, homes
Residents in Perth’s southeast have been urged to leave immediately, or risk the potentially fatal, out-of-control blazes.
Crowds descend for iconic Mardi Gras parade
Sydney is set to be awash in glitter and colour as crowds hit the CBD for the 47th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. See all the pictures here.