Richard Marles promising ‘respect’ for China signals weakness

Our new Defence Minister Richard Marles may believe diplomacy will make China play nicer, but Neville Chamberlain made that mistake with Hitler.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles with China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore. Picture: Australian Department of Defence/AFP

Richard Marles, our new Defence Minister, picked exactly the wrong time to promise China’s menacing dictatorship he’ll be more “respectful”.

There would be “a change of tone” from the Albanese government, Marles told a meeting of defence ministers in Singapore on Sunday.

It would be more “respectful” to other countries, “and this includes China”.

To China’s bellicose Defence Minister, General Wei Fenghe, in the audience, it must have sounded like Marles kowtowing.

The timing was terrible. How could Marles talk as if it’s Australia, not China, that’s been showing contempt?

Just two weeks ago, a Chinese jet fighter intercepted one of our RAAF patrol aircraft over international waters in the South China Sea and dumped metallic strips into its engines.

China then warned Australia to “immediately stop such dangerous and provocative actions” – flying over seas that China has illegally stolen – and accused us of “spreading false information”.

China meanwhile still boycotts some of our exports to punish us for speaking out on human rights and not letting it build our 5G network, and thus spy on us.

It also keeps two Australians in jail as hostages, including journalist Cheng Lei, absurdly accused of betraying state secrets.

Worse, Marles spoke soon after General Wei had acted like a thug at the same meeting, threatening war.

Wei accused the US of “smearing” China by protesting at Chinese jets threatening Australian and Canadian aircraft, and said if Taiwan, an island democracy, did not allow the Chinese dictatorship to take it over peacefully then “China reserves other options”.

“If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost.”

Wei also accused the US of being the “mastermind” of the war in Ukraine, which was actually invaded by Russia, backed by China.

There may be a time to offer this genocidal dictatorship respect – if only to buy peace – but this was not it.

To China’s autocrats, preparing for war, Marles signalled only weakness.

Marles may believe diplomacy will make China play nicer, but Neville Chamberlain made that mistake with Hitler.

We know what China really wants. It tells us all the time, and no sweet words will stop it. It wants Taiwan. It also wants territory claimed by Japan, India, Nepal, Vietnam and the Philippines.

It wants us to shut up about freedom. It wants the US replaced as the world’s superpower and is arming itself fast.

And we should be more “respectful”?