PM Scott Morrison to take lead role in US talks

Scott Morrison will meet senior US officials at Kirribilli House in Sydney, with the PM backing the US presence in the region for providing stability.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will take a leading role in talks with the US. Picture: Kym Smith

Scott Morrison will meet US ­Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and newly appointed US Defence Secretary Mark Esper at Kirribilli House in Sydney tomorrow night, with the Prime Minister backing the US presence in the region for providing stability.

Australia, the US and Japan last night issued a trilateral statement calling out China over its “coercive” unilateral actions in the South China Sea and supporting co-operation in the Pacific after a meeting of ministers in Thailand.

The status of this weekend’s annual AUSMIN talks — being held in Sydney amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing — has also been elevated, with the Prime Minister for the first time taking a direct role in the bilateral talks between the foreign and defence ministers.

The meeting comes as the US flags the prospect of Australia joining an international coalition to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf and after the Morrison government joined Washington and Tokyo to express alarm at China’s increasingly aggressive conduct in international waters.

The three nations yesterday expressed their concern at Beijing’s deployment of advanced missile systems in the South China Sea and at “credible” reports of its disruption of Vietnamese oil and gas projects. The three countries vowed to strengthen their partnership to promote ­security and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and work more closely with Pacific island countries to bolster their security, as they noted their joint efforts to promote stability in Southeast Asia, “including through maritime and other security co-operation”.

Mr Morrison told The Weekend Australian the AUSMIN meeting came “at a significant time in the relationship between the US and Australia”.

“The relationship has rarely been more important than now,” the Prime Minister said. “The US presence in our region provides stability that allows and encourages all nations in the region that they can operate in an independent and sovereign way.”

Mr Morrison and his wife, Jenny, will have a private dinner with Mr Pompeo and his wife, Susan, at Kirribilli House tomorrow night. Mr Esper is also bringing his wife to Australia while he attends the AUSMIN talks.

“The fact they are both being joined by their wives on the visit is just another sign of the closeness of the relationship,” Mr Morrison said. “It shows the strength of the relationship. I’m looking forward to catching up with them. There are a broad range of issues that we will be discussing.”

China’s militarisation of the South China Sea, and its threat to a free and open Indo-Pacific, will be at the top of the agenda at the high-level strategic discussions tomorrow between Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and their US counterparts.

Senator Payne, Mr Pompeo and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono issued a joint statement after separate talks concluded in Bangkok yesterday, condemning Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea. They also vowed to enhance engagement with Pacific island nations.

The trilateral statement took aim at “coercive unilateral actions that could alter the status quo” in the South China Sea, including Beijing’s construction of military outposts on man-made islands.

“The ministers expressed ­serious concerns about negative developments in the South China Sea, including the deployment of advanced weapons systems on disputed features,” they said.

They also expressed concern over “credible reports of disruptive activities in relation to longstanding oil and gas projects in the SCS (South China Sea)”.

Senator Reynolds said yesterday the alliance was “stronger than ever” and argued it “must modernise and evolve in order to meet the most challenging strategic environment we’ve faced in many decades”.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks with Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Picture: AP

“My focus will be on working to ensure our alliance is postured to respond to a more contested strategic environment,” she said.

The meeting comes as the Morrison government considers a ­request from the US to join a multinational response to protect commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf from Iranian forces amid heightened tension between Washington and Tehran.

Senator Reynolds said Australia was considering its position. “I look forward to discussing Iran in the wider context of the Middle East during my discussions with US Defence Secretary Mark Esper,” she said.

Speaking in Bangkok yesterday, Mr Pompeo urged Southeast Asian nations to trust in US values and took aim at Chinese leadership in the region. He said the American alliance system and US investment had helped foster greater prosperity.

Taking aim at Beijing, he said: “Our investments don’t serve a government … (they) don’t serve a political party. We’re not building roads to pave over your national sovereignty … We don’t fund bridges to close gaps of loyalty.”

Anthony Albanese, opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong and Labor defence spokesman Richard Marles will also meet Mr Pompeo and Mr Esper tomorrow.

Senator Wong said Labor would urge the US to remain “deeply and constructively engaged in the Indo-Pacific region” and noted that Labor had not been briefed on the US request for Australia to join any multinational ­response against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said AUSMIN had to tackle the issue of China’s growing power and that everything else — including Iran — was a “third-order” issue.

“The biggest strategic issue of our age is China. It is clearly ­moving to a position of being more ­assertive and aggressive,” Mr Jennings said. “The conversation has to be about preventing China from achieving its core strategic aim of pushing America out of the ­region.”

Senator Payne, who met ASEAN foreign ministers in Thailand this week, said the grouping had sent “a powerful signal” over its commitment to openness and respect for international law in the Indo-Pacific.