Beijing reveals pact with Cambodia and slams ‘malicious’ Canberra
Beijing has lashed the Morrison government for ‘maliciously’ hyping a ‘China military threat theory’ on the same day China sealed a secretive security agreement with Cambodia.
Beijing has lashed the Morrison government for “maliciously” hyping a “China military threat theory” to increase Australia’s defence spending, on the same day China sealed another secretive security agreement, this time with Cambodia.
In a pre-election pile-on, Beijing also threatened Australia with a “heavy price” if it tried to stop a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, dismissed Canberra’s concerns about a security pact with the Solomon Islands and defended the secrecy of its trial of Australian journalist Cheng Lei.
The spray came as Beijing revealed it had sealed a second secretive security agreement in the Indo-Pacific.
China and Cambodia on Thursday signed a new memorandum of understanding for their two armies to co-operate. “China and Cambodia are close neighbours and iron-clad friends,” said Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian as he disclosed the new deal on Thursday evening.
“The Chinese side is willing to work with the Cambodian side to … continue to build a community of shared future with strategic significance between China and Cambodia,” he said, noting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s encouragement of the pact.
No further details have been disclosed.
After revealing the new pact days after China’s new security agreement with the Solomons was leaked, the Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman launched an attack on the Morrison government for increasing Australia’s defence spending.
Wu singled out both the Morrison government’s AUKUS agreement to build nuclear powered submarines and its commitment to increase Australia’s defence force staff from 60,000 to 80,000 by 2040.
“China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the Australian side, who maliciously hyped up the so-called ‘China military threat theory’ to significantly expand its military strength and increase its military budget,” he said.
Less than a month ago, Beijing increased China’s military budget by more than 7 per cent for 2022.
The Chinese spokesman also denounced “very dangerous” comments by Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie about the need for Australia to prepare for the possibility that China might invade Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy Beijing routinely threatens with force.
“If Australia insists on clinging obstinately to its course, it must be prepared to pay a heavy price for interfering in China’s internal affairs,” he said.
Beijing has become concerned about increasing dialogue among America and its allies about Taiwan’s security.
Canberra’s close co-operation with the Biden administration has particularly enraged Beijing.
Just weeks ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi cast Australia as an “acolyte” in a “sinister” American-led plot to constrain China’s rise.
China’s propaganda organs this week launched an unusually personal attack on Scott Morrison, with the China Daily calling the Australian Prime Minister’s reaction to the Solomons agreement “paranoid”. The party-state mouthpiece said Mr Morrison’s refusal to meet with China’s new ambassador in Australia, Xiao Qian, exposed his “arrogance and political naivete”.
“Continuing to push the troubled bilateral ties further on a downward path will contribute little to bolstering his public image as a politician that can serve Australia’s interests by competently dealing with international affairs,” the English-language paper said.
The pre-election attack on the Prime Minister was made even as China’s new envoy in Canberra continued his diplomatic charm offensive in Australia.
This week, Ambassador Xiao met with senior figures and athletes in Australia’s Winter Olympic team to celebrate the Beijing 2022 Games. “Friendship, which derives from close contact between the peoples, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations,” said Ambassador Xiao at the event in Canberra.
In recent weeks, the Chinese envoy has met with Foreign Minister Marise Payne, shadow foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong, billionaire Andrew Forrest and businessman Warwick Smith.
Things are much chillier in Beijing. On Thursday, Australia’s ambassador in China, Graham Fletcher, was denied access to the trial of Australian journalist Cheng Lei. China’s foreign ministry later said China’s handling of the case was “legitimate and legal, and beyond reproach”.
Mr Fletcher has not been able to have any ministerial contact with his Chinese counterparts for more than two years, following a diplomatic deep freeze ordered by Mr Xi.
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