AUSMIN: China concerns set to dominate as Australian ministers meet US counterparts

Australian ministers Marise Payne and Linda Reynolds are in Washington for annual talks with Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper

They are likely to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and state-backed cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns

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Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department in Washington on July 27, 2020. Photo: Pool via AP

Published: 5:00am, 28 Jul 2020Updated: 10:06am, 28 Jul 2020

Australia’s foreign and defence ministers met their US counterparts on Tuesday for key annual talks expected to focus on China’s impact on regional security, amid growing calls for a united front to counter Beijing.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds arrived in Washington on Monday ahead of the latest Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), as attitudes harden in both countries toward Beijing’s increasingly aggressive policy in the Asia-Pacfic.

Payne and Reynolds, in a statement before their trip, said they would self-quarantine for 14 days on their return in line with Australian requirements for all international travellers.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and the Australian ministers are expected to discuss a growing list of common concerns, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the South China Sea.

Canberra will need to carefully calibrate its own, more assertive China policy.

Ashley Townshend, United States Studies Centre

In a thinly-veiled critique of Beijing before their departure, Payne and Reynolds issued a joint statement highlighting “coercive actions” in the South China Sea and the new national security law in Hong Kong undermining the “rights, freedoms and futures of millions of people”.

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