Sydney (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that China is increasingly extending its military reach further into the Pacific. In her speech, she emphasised the challenges Australia encounters as it competes for influence in the region neighbourhood.
“China continues to assert its strategic influence, including through economic and security means, and is more frequently projecting its military power further into our region,”
Wong said in a speech in Canberra on Tuesday.
Wong stated that this was occurring “without the transparency the region expects” and emphasised that the collective security and prosperity of South Pacific nations rely on mutual cooperation.
What concerns does Penny Wong raise about regional transparency?
“This is how we can ensure that we have choices, should pressure be applied to us. The unity of the Pacific Islands Forum exemplifies regionalism: empowering smaller and medium-sized countries to counter power asymmetries,”
she said.
As Australia advocates for closer economic and security ties with neighbouring countries, Wong said the rising interest in the Pacific from external partners was having effects, and Australia was in a daily contest for influence.
How is Australia supporting Pacific nations through development assistance?
“We know that Australia can no longer be the only partner of choice in the Pacific. There’s no rewind button,”
she said. Additionally, it has previously cautioned Pacific Island nations about economic coercion as they aim to increase trade with Beijing.
Amid global uncertainty in development aid, Australia continued to be a dependable partner, allocating A$2.2 billion in development assistance to the Pacific
“to address the most urgent needs during a period of disruption,”
she stated.
Why did China impose trade restrictions on Australian exports?
Between 2020 and 2023, Australia faced trade restrictions totalling A$20 billion from its main trading partner, China, due to a political conflict.
In reaction to political tensions, including Australia’s demand for a COVID-19 origins investigation, China placed trade restrictions on important Australian exports between 2020 and 2023, including barley, wine, coal, cotton, timber, beef, and lobster. China was Australia’s biggest trading partner at the time, and these actions, which frequently took the form of tariffs or unofficial bans, impacted goods valued at billions.
Under the new Australian Labour government, most restrictions started to loosen in 2023, and after diplomatic negotiations, wine tariffs were eliminated by March 2024.
Last year, China’s Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, stated that Beijing’s security objectives in the Pacific Islands are not military in nature and should not be a matter of concern for Australia.
