US threatens to ‘disconnect’ from Australia over Victoria’s China deal

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns the US will ‘simply disconnect’ from Australia if Victoria’s Belt and Road deal with China affects telecommunications.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened the United States will “simply disconnect” from Australia if Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement with China affects US telecommunications.

Mr Pompeo has warned on Sunday that the Belt and Road agreement increases the Chinese communist regime’s ability to do “harm”, as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews digs into the economic partnership.

The US Secretary of State said he did not know of Victoria’s agreement but warned it could impact his nation’s Five Eyes partnership with Australia.

“We will not take any risks to our telecommunications infrastructure, any risk to the national security elements of what we need to do with our Five Eyes partners,” he said.

“I don’t know the nature of those projects precisely. To the extent they have an adverse impact on our ability to protect telecommunications from our private citizens, or security networks for our defence and intelligence communities – we simply disconnect, we will simply separate.

“We are going to preserve trust in networks … we hope our friends and allies, especially our Five Eyes partners like Australia, do the same.”

Mr Andrews’ commitment to the Belt and Road project – a key arsenal in China’s soft power attempt to grow its influence worldwide – has come under scrutiny in recent days due to Beijing’s trade actions against Australia.

Mr Pompeo – Donald Trump’s chief diplomat – told Sky News Australia on Sunday that each Belt and Road project would have an economic and security cost for Victorians.

“Every nation has its own sovereign right to make decisions for itself, and I suppose Victoria has some rights … but every citizen of Australia should know that every one of those Belt and Road projects needs to be looked at incredibly closely,” he told Sky News.

“Nearly every one of them has a cost. There is often money loaned at conditional rates or conditions placed in the debt documents.

“Or government concessions that have to be made to the Chinese Communist Party to get those Belt and Road initiatives built.

“That proposes real risk. Real risk to the people of that region, real risk to the country, and quite frankly it builds the capacity of the Chinese Communist Party to do harm.”

Mr Andrews refused to respond to comments from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement with China will build the ability of the communist regime to “do harm”, and that each Belt and Road project would have an economic and security cost for Victorians.

“I haven’t seen Secretary Pompeo’s comments,” Mr Andrews said.

“With the greatest of respect, I am not in the habit of commenting on what people tell me other people have said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday also warned state leaders to leave foreign policy to the federal government.

Mr Andrews unconditionally backed controversial comments from his Treasurer earlier this week that China’s imposition of an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley was a consequence “of the way that the federal government have conducted themselves”.

Asked during his press conference on Sunday whether he agreed with Mr Pallas that some of the federal government’s rhetoric had been seen to vilify China, Mr Andrews said: “Yes. Any other issues?”