Howard in warning on China strife

Political upheaval in HK could be “a glimpse of the future for Chinese society”, John Howard warns.

Protesters hurl objects at the police during a demonstration in support of the city-wide strike and to call for democratic reforms at Tai Po residential area in Hong Kong on Monday. Picture: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

John Howard has warned that ­political upheaval in Hong Kong could be “a glimpse of the future for Chinese society”, as Beijing hit back at “unwarranted attacks and slandering” of its role in the region at high-level talks between Australian and US officials.

The former prime minister yesterday questioned the long-term viability of China’s economic and political system, and declared Australia would always be closer to the US because of shared “fundamental human values”.

As Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam accused democracy protesters of pushing the city towards “a very dangerous situation”, Mr Howard said the unrest exposed the conflict between authoritarianism and becoming a prosperous, first-world nation.

He said poor people who ­became rich “might put up with being told how to live their lives” because they were grateful they were no longer poor. “But if you’ve been born into relative affluence and comfort you take that for granted and you resent being told how to run your life,” Mr Howard said. “Perhaps over the next 50 years we’re going to see just how all of that works out.”

Australia’s relationship with Beijing, Mr Howard said, was ­becoming more difficult because the regime in China was “a lot more authoritarian than the one that was in power 10 years ago”.

“And what we are seeing in Hong Kong perhaps represents a glimpse of the future for Chinese society,” he added.

Mr Howard said China’s ­economic importance to Australia was “overwhelming” but warned of the dangers of becoming ­“mesmerised” by the Chinese economic miracle.

He expressed his ­admiration for those who had taken to the streets. “I’m almost inspired by the sight of so many hundreds and thousands of people peacefully demonstrating,” the former prime minister said.

“When you think of the total population of Hong Kong and the number of people taking part in those demonstrations, it is a remarkable ­reminder of the resilience of the human spirit,” he said.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds joined US counterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper at AUSMIN talks on Sunday to condemn “coercive” Chinese conduct in the South China Sea, including the militarisation of disputed ­islands and “disruptive activities” targeting oil and gas projects, and international fishing.

Mr Pompeo urged Australia to stand with the US against Chinese threats to international security and the rule of law, saying ­countries should not sacrifice their values “for a pile of soy beans”.

The statements prompted a furious reaction from the Chinese embassy in Canberra. It ­condemned “lingering hegemonic mentality of certain forces in the US”. A spokesman for Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye said China firmly rejected the “veiled accusations” in the joint Australia-US statement, and accused the US of “stirring up troubles and sowing discord” in the region.

“Such behaviours will only disrupt the situation in the South China Sea and undermine ­regional peace and stability,” the spokesman said. “Countries and people in the region will never buy a single word of what they said.”

After the talks, Mr Pompeo left open the possibility that Australia could be asked to host ­intermediate-range missiles in Darwin, following the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range ­Nuclear Forces treaty with Russia.

Mr Cheng’s spokesman accused the US of setting back ­nuclear disarmament by “escaping from its own responsibilities”.

However, Scott Morrison hosed down the prospect of Australia hosting mid-range US missiles, saying “that’s not something the government would consider”.

Mr Howard said Australia’s ­relationship with the US was ­defined by the values the two ­nations shared “and values bind countries together far more tightly than anything else”.

“Australia and America share democracy and belief in human dignity and human freedom and the worth of somebody based on their contribution to society,” Mr Howard said.

“They share those values … China remains an ­authoritarian society. But the economic importance of China to Australia is enormous and we should never lose sight of that.”

With the Hong Kong protests entering their third month, pro-democracy demonstrators staged a general strike, disrupting air, rail and bus services that threatened to bring the Asian financial centre to a standstill.

Hong Kong riot police clashed with pro-democracy protesters for a third straight day yesterday, prompting a warning from Hong Kong’s chief executive that she would not cave in to their ­demands.

Ms Lam said the chaos threatened to destroy the city’s prosperity, and accused protesters of using opposition to now-scrapped extradition laws as a cover for ulterior motives.

Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said the world was in an “era of strategic competition between the US and China”, and Australia should work to moderate tensions between the superpowers.

“What we must do is to continue to work for constructive US engagement with the ­region,” she told Sky News.

“I would make the point: China remains a very important trading partner for Australia, remains a very important relationship, and our interests lie in working to ­ensure the sort of region we want, but also to ensure that competition doesn’t escalate. There is a place for co-operation as well, in today’s world.”

Senator Reynolds said Australia was a strong US ally, but “it’s in no one’s interests for the competitive relationship between the United States and China to ­become adversarial”.