Chinese envoy says war with Australia is ‘unrealistic’

Ambassador Xiao Qian in an opinion piece criticised the view that Beijing was a threat to Canberra

His comments came as as Australian and Chinese defence officials met for the first time since 2019 to discuss regional security issues

1-MIN READ1-MIN

China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:24pm, 23 Mar 2023

China’s ambassador to Australia has dismissed concerns over a war between the two countries as unrealistic, as defence officials from both governments met for talks in Canberra in the latest sign of a diplomatic thaw.

Ambassador Xiao Qian wrote an opinion piece published in The Sydney Morning Herald and the Age newspapers on Thursday, in which he criticised the view that China was a threat to Australia.

“A war between China and Australia is neither realistic nor at all consistent with our national interests and diplomatic philosophy,” he said. “What Australia needs is opportunities and partners, not threats and imaginary enemies.”

Xiao’s opinion piece comes as Australian and Chinese defence officials met for the first time since 2019 in Canberra on Wednesday. The Australian Department of Defence said the Australia-China Defence Coordination Dialogue was held over half a day and both sides had exchanged “views on regional security issues” in a professional manner.

The meeting of defence officials appeared to confirm that the recent warming in diplomatic ties between Canberra and Beijing has not been derailed despite the announcement of Australia’s pathway to owning nuclear submarines under the Aukus agreement.

China has long been a vocal opponent of the Aukus plan, taking its concerns all the way to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Relations between Australia and China have noticeably improved following the election of the centre-left Labor government in May 2022.