Tough China stance here to stay under Biden: Arthur Sinodinos

Australia will seek to work more closely with the Biden administration on China to encourage Beijing to modify its behaviour, US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos says.

Arthur Sinodinos at White Oaks, the ambassador's residence in Washington. Picture: Supplied

Australia will seek to work more closely with the new Biden administration on China to encourage Beijing to modify its behaviour in the region, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos says.

Mr Sinodinos also said he expected Joe Biden would maintain the Trump administration’s tough approach to China but would do so more in concert with regional allies like Australia.

“We’ve encouraged a Trump administration and we will encourage a Biden administration to work closely with us and others because I think for us it is important that China is brought into the rules based order in a way which is consistent with that order working to the benefit of everybody,’ Mr Sinodinos told The Australian.

“We want a strong and prosperous China but it has to work within that context. And that works best when we and other countries work together to convince them that the calculus of benefit for them is to be part of that rules based order.”

Arthur Sinodinos said he expected Joe Biden would maintain the Trump administration’s tough approach to China. Picture: AFP

In an interview in Washington for The Australian’s Strategic Forum, Mr Sinodinos said China had “very few friends” on both sides of politics in Washington and that the tougher stance towards China was here to stay under a Biden presidency.

“The Biden people are not willing to give China a free pass and certainly they will be concerned if they appear in some way to be ‘softening’ on China because the Congress, particularly if there is a Republican majority in the Senate, will be keeping a very close eye on this,” he said.

But he said Mr Biden was likely to resume some aspects of co-operation with China around climate change, non-proliferation and the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think where the difference may come is that the Biden camp have said in the past they want to also find some areas where they can co-operate with China. Where the Biden administration has talked about co-operation has been around climate change, non-proliferation, and around the pandemic and the way out of the pandemic.”

He said the Biden administration would confront these issues through acts such as signing back up to the Paris climate agreement and rejoining The World Health Organisation.

“In other words making the US presence more felt in multilateral institutions and using that to give leadership to Western countries and countries in our region, in dealing with these issues,” he said.

Mr Sinodinos, who took up his post as Ambassador in February, said he believed Mr Biden as president would prioritise America’s alliances and would seek to be a deal-maker in office.

“He has made it clear that he is a consensus seeker and his whole career, particularly in the Senate, suggests he is very much a deal maker in that political mode. He has made it clear he is interested in working more closely with allies.”

Mr Sinodinos, 63, said the recent US election showed the volatility of American politics. It exposed the divisions in the country between rural and urban voters, between rich and poor and on the benefits of globalisation.

“Joe Biden put together a coalition covering different groups in the community, moderates as well as progressives and I think captured a feeling among a large group of voters that they wanted the president out. So it became very much a contest between the strong supporters of the president who felt very strongly about him and another group who feel the opposite, and Joe Biden was able to harness that,” he said.

Mr Sinodinos said he believed a Biden presidency would see a continuation, rather than any major change, in the close alliance relationship between Australia and the US.

He said he hoped Mr Biden would visit Australia next year to mark the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS Alliance and underline the importance of the relationship for both countries.

“This is a relationship which, in my view, under this (Trump) administration has gone from strength to strength, and we are optimistic we can go further under a Biden administration,” he said.

(Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia)