The United States (US) and Australia have agreed to expand military cooperation in the South China Sea amid soaring tensions with China. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper held two days of talks in Washington with their Australian counterparts, who agreed to in-person discussions, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and face two weeks of quarantine on their return.
At a joint press conference on Tuesday, Pompeo praised its close ally for not succumbing to Chinese pressure and said that Washington and Canberra would continue to work together to reassert the rule of law in the South China Sea, where China has been pressing its claims against multiple nations. Esper hailed Australia’s participation in last week’s naval exercises with a US carrier strike group and said that it sent a “clear signal” to Beijing of the countries’ resolve to defend the rights of their allies.
The 🇺🇸🇦🇺 relationship is built on shared values. In the face of an increasingly complex regional environment, it is vital we work together to overcome these challenges. Another productive discussion with colleagues tonight on how we navigate our way through. #AllInThisTogether pic.twitter.com/5HMRYw4XzE
— Marise Payne (@MarisePayne) July 29, 2020
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the United States and Australia shared a commitment to the rule of law and had reiterated Canberra’s will to hold countries accountable for misdemeanors, like Chinese actions in Hong Kong. Defense Minister Linda Reynolds said the two countries will build ties across a slew of defense areas including hypersonic, electronic, and space-based warfare, which would strengthen regional security, and help “deter malign behavior in our region”.
The talks come against a backdrop of increased tensions after Australian warships had an unplanned encounter with China’s navy and Australia declared in a submission to the UN “there is no legal basis” to China’s territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea. The Trump administration has also stepped its criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has resulted in the closures of consulates in Chengdu and Houston over the past week.
Also read: Australia Rejects China’s South China Sea Claims, Says “No Legal Basis”
The US and Australia presented a unified front on Tuesday and expressed “deep concern” over Chinese actions in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. They also agreed to form a working group to monitor and respond to harmful disinformation across the Indo-Pacific region and said that they would look at ways to expand cooperation on infectious diseases, including access to vaccines. At the same time, however, Australia stressed that it did not see eye-to-eye with the United States on all issues, and made decisions based on its own national interests and security. Ms. Payne also said that Canberra’s relationship with Beijing was important and that it had no intention of hurting it.
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