US ‘joins the chorus led by Australia’ in region

The Trump administration has praised ‘Australia’s example and leadership’ in responding to China in the Indo-Pacific.

Clive Hamilton has been an integral part of Australia’s emerging leadership in response to the strategic challenges posed by China.

The Trump administration has praised “Australia’s example and leadership” in responding to the strategic challenge posed by China in the Indo-Pacific, stating the US has “been joining a chorus led by Australia for a while now”.

Speaking after a week of meetings involving Southeast Asian nations, their neighbours and major partners, US Assistant Secretar­y of State David Stilwell praised “Australia’s increasing leadership in the region”.

“I’ll point to Clive Hamilton, John Garnaut, previous prime minister Turnbull and the current Prime Minister Morrison,” said Mr Stilwell on Tuesday, when asked about Australia’s role in the contested region.

“Australia’s example and leadership on this has been very helpful … We’ve been joining a chorus led by Australia for a while now.”

His comments came after another­ torrid fortnight in the China-Australia relationship, with mutual claims of harassment of each other’s journalists, tough words by Australia’s most senior diplomat and ongoing concern in the business community about the tense relationship with the nation’s biggest trading partner.

And they follow the characterisation by Chinese officials and state media of Australia as being in lockstep with the US.

Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne have repeatedly­ stated the independence of Australia’s China policy, while defending its engagement with like-minded partners, particularly­ over the respect for international law in the South China Sea.

In a key speech last month, Mr Morrison repeated that Australia had “welcomed China’s rise as a major economic partner” — a starkly different rhetorical position to the Trump administration’s. “But with the economic rise does come economic and broader strategic responsibility,’’ he said.

“China has a role to enhance regional and global stability, commensurate with its new status.’’

After the talks, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with Beijing over a China Coast Guard ship that spent two days in its exclusive economic zone.

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said much commentary about China in Australia had become “unsophisticated and very shortsighted”. “I take a long view on China that it is going to continue to be a very important country to Australia,” said Senator Bragg, underlining the government’s different approach to Washington’s systemic confrontation.

“Comments you see sometimes about ‘decoupling’ from China are very reckless and not in the national interest.”