Election 2022: Chinese spy ship incursion underlines the government’s hollow boasts on defence

The Chinese navy spy ship Dongdiao off WA.

Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, and her Labor counterpart, Penny Wong, played out a score draw at their Press Club debate.

Both had vulnerabilities to defend, both had strengths to champion. Both performed competently, and carefully, as befits foreign affairs.

Payne would not explain or repeat Scott Morrison’s deeply ill-advised formulation that a Chinese naval base in the Solomon Islands would cross a “red line” for Australia.

We still have no idea what the PM meant, whether it implies some surely implausible enforcement mechanism, or even why he said it. Nor would Payne say whether Morrison had consulted her about using the term in advance, which I think we can take means that he didn’t consult her in advance. This would underline how poorly thought through the use of the term was.

The Chinese navy ship spotted off WA.

For her part, Wong had to defend the quite silly statements on China made by Labor’s Deputy leader, Richard Marles, as recently as in a book which he published last August.

It is absurd for either side to be seriously criticised for Pollyanna optimism comments made about China several years ago. Tony Abbott, after all, strategically the hardest headed of recent Prime Ministers, hailed Xi Jinping’s commitment to democracy when the Chinese leader visited.

The problem for Marles is that there were some foolish comments – such as accusing the government of being needlessly worried about the spectre of Chinese military bases in the South Pacific – as recently as last year’s book.

That is a perfectly reasonable matter for the government to tax Labor on. It does raise a question about Marles’s judgment.

Penny Wong and Marise Payne at the National Press Club after their foreign affairs debate. Picture: NCA Newswire/ Andrew TaylorForeign

It certainly doesn’t raise any questions about his commitment to Australian security.

Wong was right to assert of both major parties: “we are all patriots”.

That is undoubtedly true.

Wong also attacked the government for its failure to produce relevant defence capabilities. The government might have expected Labor to attack it from the left, for over doing defence.

But in fact while the government has spent a lot of money on defence it has produced almost no relevant increase in our very modest defence capability. Labor has sensibly focused on that.

The incursion of a Chinese navy spy ship south of Exmouth, Western Australia, paradoxically underlines this point.

Australia often tries to track Chinese navy vessels with our patrol craft. But even our new big patrol craft, the size of a small destroyer, carries no weapons of military grade. Our eight small ANZAC frigates would similarly be wildly over matched against modern Chinese war ships. And we do not have enough aeroplanes to be sure even of full scale surveillance everywhere we like.

Of course we do have strong radar and satellite capabilities and all the electronic intelligence assistance the Americans can give us.

Nonetheless, the government’s boasts on defence are hollow.

For all that, in the Payne/Wong debate there was far more agreement than disagreement. That is a sign of a mature country. The broad outlines of strategic policy are clear. The fundamental orientation of the nation is secure and stable, and that’s as it should be.

Defence has been tracking the Chinese ship's movements.

Wong had a good line in responding to the old chestnut, not heard now for several years, that Australia did not have to choose between its relationship with the US and its relationship with China.

“We have already chosen,” Wong said.

In several areas of diplomacy Payne had a very good story to tell. Australia’s diplomatic achievements in AUKUS, and with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, are substantial. The government also has a good case that it has refused to be intimidated by Beijing’s bullying.

Wong rightly gave bipartisan support on these issues, importantly declaring that a Labor government would not take a backward step in defending Australia’s national interests in the relationship with China.

However, it is also the case that the China/Solomon Islands security agreement represents a historic failure of Australian diplomacy and statecraft.

It’s not that complicated. Results are what counts. We didn’t want such an agreement to take place. We’ve put enormous resources into the Solomons. Yet the agreement happened. That means Australian statecraft failed.

Over her long tenure in Defence and then Foreign Affairs, it took Payne a long time to become willing to do media events frequently, yet this is an essential part of being foreign minister. Now she is generally available. And she performs well when she does appear.

Wong for her part is the most polished and considered figure on these matters on her side of politics.

A score draw between two politicians who share much of a world view. Not shouty or dramatic. But substantial and valuable.