US and Australia must boost Indo-Pacific security cooperation as China looms: deputy prime minister

‘We can’t afford to stand still’ amid Beijing’s military build-up and ‘force or coercion’ to advance territorial claims, No 2 Canberra official warns
Cautionary remarks come as Richard Marles visits Washington to deepen bilateral military ties and ahead of expected talks with US defence secretary

Australia

Owen Churchill

Published: 7:05am, 12 Jul 2022

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The United States and Australia must bolster their security cooperation to avoid a “catastrophic failure of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia’s deputy prime minister said, warning of China’s rapid military build-up, its courting of Pacific Island nations, and “use of force or coercion to advance territorial claims”.

“Notwithstanding our strong foundations, we can’t afford to stand still,” Richard Marles, who also serves as Canberra’s defence minister, said during an appearance at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies on Monday.

“In the years ahead the US-Australia alliance will not only have to operate in a much more challenging strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific,” Marles said. “It will need to contribute to a more effective balance of military power aimed at avoiding a catastrophic failure of deterrence.”

The No 2 Australian official’s comments marked the start of his first trip to the US in his current role, and came as Canberra considers whether to choose British or American designs for new nuclear-powered submarines – an outcome of a trilateral security pact forged by the previous Australian administration.

Marles offered a full-throated endorsement of that deal, which is known as Aukus, saying “the heart of deterrence is undersea capability”.

But he also highlighted other initiatives beyond Aukus through which Canberra hoped to deepen its military ties with Washington, including increased joint military exercises and improving the exchange of national security-related technologies.

“During my engagements this week, I will be proposing specific measures that both sides could adopt to streamline processes and overcome barriers to procurement, investment, information and data sharing systems, and export requirements,” Marles said without elaborating.

His talks in Washington are expected to include a meeting with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

While characterising China’s military build-up as the “biggest … we’ve seen since the end of the second world war,” Marles stressed that Canberra did not object to any nation’s decision to modernise its armed forces.

“But a build-up of that scale needs to happen in a way that is transparent – and what we’re seeing with China now is opaque,” he said. “It has to be accompanied by a reassuring statecraft which gives neighbours a sense of confidence about what’s happening.”

The remarks came amid growing scrutiny among Western nations of Beijing’s engagement with Pacific Island countries, including a security deal it reached with the Solomon Islands.

Though Marles welcomed assurances from both Solomon Islands and Chinese officials that the deal would not include the presence of a Chinese military base in the country, he said it was “an agreement of a different character to what we have seen before”.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said earlier this month he wanted to expand a joint police training agreement with China into a “more permanent arrangement”, according to Australian broadcaster ABC.

Beijing’s engagement in the region prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity from the US, including plans to reopen Washington’s embassy in the Solomon Islands.

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And on Tuesday, US Vice-President Kamala Harris will deliver a speech to the Fiji-hosted Pacific Islands Forum, where she will address “opportunities to deepen US engagement in the region and areas to deliver concrete results for the people of the Pacific”, according to the White House.

As for Australia, Marles said on Monday that Canberra would not take its status in the Indo-Pacific region “for granted”. He emphasised that Australia did not have “some exclusive right to [Pacific nations’] friendship”.

“The Pacific has been clear in saying that geopolitical competition is of lesser concern to them than the threat of rising sea levels, economic insecurity and transnational crime,” he said. “Australia respects and understands this and we are listening. And while we will not ask our partners to pick a side, I am confident that an Australia which collaborates and invests in shared priorities with the Pacific is an Australia which will be the natural partner of choice for the Pacific.”