Ex-Australia PM Scott Morrison also had China in mind when arming Ukraine

‘I was as concerned about Beijing as I was about Moscow,’ Scott Morrison said about his decision to fund defensive weapons for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion

Morrison, who was PM from 2018 to 2022, had repeated disputes with China, including when Canberra called for a probe into the origins of the coronavirus

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Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing was also a concern when he decided to fund defensive weapons for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:05pm, 11 Oct 2023Updated: 1:27am, 12 Oct 2023

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that he also had Beijing on his mind when he decided to help arm Ukraine given Western concern about the global expansion of authoritarianism.

Morrison, who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, had repeated disputes with China, including in 2020 when Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, first identified in central China in 2019.

China responded by imposing tariffs on Australian commodities, including wine and barley, and limited imports of Australian beef, coal and grapes, moves described by the United States as “economic coercion”.

For Australia to swiftly support and assist Ukraine following the invasion by Russia, that decision was taken with as much of having Beijing in mind as Moscow

Scott Morrison, former Australian prime minister

Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Morrison said his decision to fund lethal defensive weapons for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion had a broader message.

“When my government took the decision for Australia to swiftly provide lethal aid to support and assist Ukraine following the illegal invasion by Russia, that decision was taken with as much of having Beijing in mind as Moscow,” Morrison said.

“We did it certainly to support Ukraine in their time of need and to defend democracy there, but we also did it to demonstrate our alignment with a global Western resolve to resist the aggression of authoritarianism, especially given the tacit endorsement of that invasion by Beijing,” he added.

“As I said, I was as concerned about Beijing as I was about Moscow.”

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