Australian Foreign Minister Anthony Wong has urged all countries to work together to prevent a “catastrophic” war in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a speech at King’s College London on Tuesday (January 30), Huang Yingxian pointed out that the tension between China and the United States is making the Indo-Pacific region “more dangerous and volatile”, and any conflict there will affect the whole world.
Australia won’t force other countries to choose sides in US-China rivalry
“If conflict erupted in the Indo-Pacific, it would be catastrophic for our people and prosperity… All nations should ask themselves how to use national power, our influence, our networks and our capabilities, to avert catastrophe sexual conflict.”
Huang Yingxian called on Beijing to accept the Biden administration’s proposal to set some broad limits on strategic ambitions to prevent potential flashpoints. She also stressed that the Australian government would not “force people to take sides” in the superpower competition between the United States and China.
Huang Yingxian is visiting London with Australian Defense Minister Marles (Richard Marles), during which the two will hold two days of annual bilateral talks with the British foreign and defense ministers, which are expected to focus on regional issues including China’s military expansion.
Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have reached a trilateral security partnership (AUKUS) in 2021, mainly to counter China’s growing military power. Under AUKUS, the US and UK will provide Australia with technology to help it build nuclear-powered submarines. The two countries are expected to announce plans for Australia’s new nuclear submarine design early this year.
China has long criticized the US and UK for providing nuclear submarine technology to Australia, saying it violated the international non-proliferation treaty.
China’s relations with the United States, Australia and some other Western countries have improved since Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden met for the first time face-to-face last November on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia.
In December, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hoped to “continue to develop a more positive relationship”, and Xi Jinping later said that China-Australia relations were moving in the “right direction”.
To ease tensions between the two countries, Wong and Mars have met several times with Chinese officials since the Albanese government came to power last year.
The new deal was struck last month after Chinese authorities hinted at easing an informal import ban on Australian coal imposed in 2020. But other measures continue to hamper trade in everything from lobster to wine and timber, with Australian Trade Minister Farrell scheduled to hold a virtual meeting next week with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
Source: HK01