US to send up to 2,200 troops to Northern Territory as China tensions build

The US is committing more than 2,200 troops to Australia as concern grows over simmering tensions with China.

Over two thousand US troops are being sent Down Under, as tensions between China and Australia simmer.

A rotational US Marine force consisting of up to 2200 soldiers will be based in the Northern Territory. Roughly 1000 troops have already touched ground.

The move came after Defence Minister Peter Dutton warned that conflict with China “shouldn't be discounted”.

The new development followed a series of jabs from both sides over the Ukraine War and its relation to China’s ongoing Taiwan dispute.

Commander of the ADF’s northern force Colonel Marcus Constable said Australia’s relationship with the US was essential, outlining a series of joint training exercises.

The troops will also be on hand to assist in Australia’s response to natural disasters.

“It is a key way we increase regional co-operation with partners in the Indo-Pacific,” Colonel Constable said via the Australian Associated Press.

“Together we conduct a comprehensive range of training activities including humanitarian assistance, security operations and high-end live fire exercises.”

Speaking to the United States Studies Centre, Mr Dutton warned the Chinese government may use the current war to their advantage to advance their own claims on contested territory.

Up to 2,200 US army personnel will land in the Northern Territory in 2022.

“There are actors within our own region who may see the war in Ukraine as a useful distraction and indeed an opportunity to pursue their own actions of aggression or coercion,” he said on Wednesday.

“This threat of course chiefly emanates from Beijing which has its own openly stated territorial ambitions and which recently entered a no limits cooperative partnership with the Kremlin at a time when the rest of the world was pulling away.”

Mr Dutton also warned Chinese rulers could be using the current war in Ukraine as “a useful distraction and an opportunity to pursue their own acts of aggression and coercion”, as talk over the superpower’s interest in securing contested territory in Taiwan grows.

“This threat emanates chiefly from Beijing, which has its own openly stated territorial ambitions, and which recently entered a ’no-limits’ cooperative partnership with the Kremlin,” he continued.

Chinese state-affiliated media has previously stoked the fire between Australia and Beijing, warning in late 2021 the nation would inevitably suffer a “heavy attack” if Australian forces come to the defence of Taiwan.

“If Australian troops come to fight in the Taiwan Straits, it is unimaginable that China won’t carry out a heavy attack on them and the Australian military facilities that support them,” editor-in-chief of The Global Times Hu Xijin wrote on Twitter in November.

“So Australia (had) better be prepared to sacrifice for Taiwan island and the US.”

Mr Dutton has not explicitly committed Australia to defending the island from a Chinese attack, but has strongly implied it would help the United States in such an action.

“We need to make sure that there is a high level of preparedness, a greater sense of deterrence by our capability, and that is how we put our country in a position of strength,” he said.

“It would be inconceivable that we wouldn’t support the US in an action if the US chose to take that action. And again, I think we should be very frank and honest about that, look at all of the facts and circumstances without pre-committing, and maybe there are circumstances where we wouldn’t take up that option. I can’t conceive of those circumstances.”

Commander of the ADF‘s northern force Colonel Marcus Constable said Australia’s relationship with the US was essential, outlining a series of joint training exercises.

Perched south of several Asian countries, Darwin is seen as a pivotal location for both Australia and the US.

Earlier on Wednesday, Scott Morrison condemned any potential Chinese military support for Russia’s attack on Ukraine as an “abomination”.

The Prime Minister’s comments come a day after Australia suggested it would seek to follow the United States in imposing sanctions against Beijing should it send arms to Moscow as the conflict rages on.

The relationship between the two powerful nations was in the spotlight on Wednesday as a high level diplomatic meeting took place at Parliament House and China was scrutinised at two other significant events in Canberra.

Mr Morrison signalled Australia was watching China closely, saying he was disturbed by its “chilling silence” on the Russian invasion.

“I think it is very important for China to be very transparent about what is their relationship with Russia,” he told reporters in Perth.

“What is their relationship with Russia, when it comes to throwing them an economic lifeline during this global crisis? And potentially, what, if any, support has been discussed for military support for Russia? Because that would be an abomination.”

Earlier this week, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says Australia should be seeking to reduce its dependency on China.

“The reality right now is if we were to impose significant sanctions on China, that would put many parts of our economy to a standstill,” Mr Canavan told Sky News Australia.

“We should be doing much more to reduce that dependence.”