Australia agrees to military pact with Japan despite China tension - NEWS.com.au

Australia’s new military pact with Japan should have “no bearing” on its relationship with China, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says.

The in-principle agreement was announced during Scott Morrison’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Tokyo.

The deal will strengthen relations between both countries’ defence forces, give the green light to joint military exercises in the East and South China seas, and co-operation on humanitarian disaster relief.

Australian officials have been working on the historic pact for six years; however, the development comes amid a growing trade dispute with Beijing.

“It should not be interpreted as anything other than Australia and Japan working closely together,” Senator Birmingham said.

“The door is open from the Australian perspective, and the ball is very much in China’s court to be able to sit down and have that proper dialogue.

“Practically, we have reached out at every possible level and pathway in terms of writing to Beijing, in terms of representations from our ambassador in Beijing, in terms of representations to Beijing’s ambassador in China.”

But Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday rejected the assertion, saying it was a “series of wrong moves” from Australia that caused relations to take a downturn.

“It is clear that some people in Australia, with their Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, tend to regard China’s development as a threat and have subsequently taken a series of wrong moves related to China,” he said.

“We hope that the Australian side will own up to the real reason for the setback in bilateral relations.”

Mr Zhao went on to give three examples, which included:

• Australia’s intervention in China’s internal affairs regarding Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan

• China being accused of engaging in “so-called intervention and infiltration” activities without any evidence

• Promotion of an independent international inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic

“These acts have seriously damaged mutual trust between the two countries, poisoned the atmosphere of bilateral relations and curtailed the original good momentum of practical co-operation between China and Australia,” Mr Zhao said.

“The Australian side should reflect on this seriously rather than shirking the blame and deflecting responsibility.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will on Wednesday address The Australian’s two-day Strategic Forum, saying the federal government stands “ready to engage with the Chinese government in respectful, mutually beneficial dialogue”.

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2020-11-18 00:04:25Z
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