Scott Morrison steers new course in Indo-Pacific

Scott Morrison has altered the course of Indo-Pacific policies on security, climate change and trade for decades to come.

Scott Morrison meets with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi ahead of the Quad meeting at the White House in Washington. Picture: Adam Taylor

Scott Morrison has altered the course of Indo-Pacific policies on security, climate change and trade for decades to come after the most intense and substantive series of leaders meetings attended by an Australian prime minister.

In just five days, Mr Morrison has agreed to a realignment of ­regional defence in the face of Chinese aggression in which the UK and the US will bring Australia into a new nuclear submarine age.

He also promoted a new ­climate change initiative to help developing nations cut emissions through finance and technological innovation, while challenging the hegemony of France and the EU over free-trade deals.

In a perfect storm of moving diplomatic and security tectonic plates in New York and Washington, Mr Morrison has been at the forefront of the historic first leaders meeting of the four-way partnership of Australia, the US, Japan and India, after almost two decades of development.

And he has joined US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a ­defence of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership that builds on the 70-year-old ANZUS alliance.

Before the meeting of the Quadrilateral leaders Mr Morrison said the new four-way partnership had brought the nations together at an important time.

“As the world faces great challenges, new partnerships amongst old friends continue to be forged,” he said. “The Quad partnership is very much of that order – a positive partnership seeking to make strong contributions on the big issues that make a big difference in our region.

“Issues such as how we produce clean energy into the future, how we’re delivering on the Covid vaccine challenge for our region, how we’re establishing the new supply chains that fuel and support the new energy economy that’s so critical to the economic prosperity of all of our countries, not just those within our partnership, but those well beyond.”

The four-way leaders agenda included discussions on critical technologies and materials, and the importance of securing supply chains disrupted by Covid-19 and which are vulnerable to Chinese monopolies.

There was also an ambition to expand into space research and technology which would involve all four partners working in the Indo-Pacific as well as a determination to ensure the supply of critical minerals for all countries to assist with the development of renewable energy technologies.

Ahead of the historic meeting of the Quad leaders convened by Mr Biden, Mr Morrison met all the leaders individually and ­argued that the partnership was not a threat to China but an ­initiative aimed at providing “peace and stability” in the region.

“A key part of the Quad is … to reinforce that the reason we’re coming together is to make a positive and constructive contribution … a contribution that supports the peace and stability across the region, and so individual nations can realise their own ambitions,” he said.

Mr Morrison said he had been working with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “some years now” on lower carbon emissions through technology “on hydrogen development (and) ultra low-cost solar programs, to support their energy transition”.

“One of the key points we continue to make about addressing climate change is to ensure that we get the technology transfer from developed to developing economies,” he said. “If we want to address climate change, then we need to address the change that is necessary in developing economies, so they can grow their economies, build their industries, make the things the world needs.”

Mr Morrison has had a frenetic week of meetings including with Mr Biden, Mr Johnson, Mr Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The week has also included a meeting of the South Pacific Forum and the signing of a special relationship with Austria despite French appeals to scuttle the Australia-EU FTA.

Mr Morrison praised China’s economic development but did not concede to a series of demands from the Chinese embassy demanding Australia give way.

“We all want to work together to create a free and open Indo-Pacific and everybody benefits from that,” he said. “We’re looking for an Indo-Pacific where there’s a happy coexistence, where the opportunities are realised, the growth potential is there to lift the living standards of all those in the Indo-Pacific.

“I mean, China’s economic success has brought more people out of poverty than any other nation in the world’s history. It’s a ­remarkable achievement. It’s a tremendous achievement. And the many other economies of the Indo-Pacific want to achieve ­exactly the same thing.”

A key focus of the trip as been how the Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the global supply chains of a range of essential commodities – a key focus of Mr Morrison’s talks with Mr Modi.

His argument is that developing nations should be able to both sell and use critical energy sources. Australia and India have ­resources of so-called critical minerals and could compete with China. He is also arguing those ­resources could be used for existing industry and space research.