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No need to be ‘anxious’ over China’s growing Pacific presence, envoy tells Australia
- Ambassador Xiao Qian said Pacific island nations want to have political and trade dealings with Beijing, which is not seeking a military strategy
- He also said Nauru’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of mainland China would not impact Australia’s partnership with the tiny country
Australia, concerned by the strategic location of the Pacific islands as a battleground in World War II, has said security should be provided by countries within the region that share democratic values, and not China.
Xiao told reporters that Pacific island countries want to have political ties with China, sell products to the Chinese market, and receive investment and help from China in infrastructure, telecommunications and maintaining social order. Security “is part of the relationship between China and Pacific Island countries, to help them to social stability,” he said.
“It is not a strategy for military security, its a strategy to help policing their nation for social stability and basic order,” Xiao said, adding that there was “no need for any so-called anxiety on the part of Australia”.
Defence was an area “we need to work harder on,” he said, also saying that China had lodged a diplomatic protest with Australia over its congratulations to Taiwan, which China sees as its own, over the election of a new president.
Albanese said on Wednesday that Australia respected Taiwan’s democratic processes in its election, and also respected the decision by Nauru to change diplomatic ties.
He declined to comment on whether Australia would seek a new security agreement with Nauru, but said security deals recently struck by his government with Pacific nations Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu were “very significant”.
Ties between Australia and its largest trading partner China improved last year after China lifted trade blocks imposed in 2020 on a raft of Australian exports.
A Chinese review of large dumping tariffs on Australian wine continued, an embassy official told the press conference.
“I cannot expect the case will come to such a conclusion,” he said.
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