U.S. President Joe Biden‘s pledge to unite allies around the world to address China’s political, military and trade challenges was the first to be echoed by Australia. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne wrote to the media on Friday that Canberra authorities will work with Washington to defend the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, including working together to address China’s challenges. The Australian Department of Defense said on the same day that it will spend money on developing new naval weapons to demonstrate and maintain maritime control and strengthen Australia’s deterrent power in the Indo-Pacific region.
Spending money on new naval weapons
Payne wrote to The Australian that the United States under Biden will continue to bring strength, stability and leadership to the world, which will support the values of democracy, freedom and market order shared by Australia and the United States. She stressed that the Australia-U.S. alliance is incredibly strong, but that Australia will not leave it up to the U.S. alone to maintain the security and prosperity of the region and the world, “as we continue and constructively play our part in realizing the vision of the Indo-Pacific region.”
Payne emphasized that Australia’s relationship with China has been challenged, and that the U.S.-China rivalry will continue even in the face of U.S. regime change. Australia will also benefit in the long term if the U.S.-led camp can consistently and intelligently demonstrate what is legal under a rules-based system. At the same Time, Australia will stand up for international law and norms, and stand up to economic coercion, human rights abuses and disinformation.
In addition, Payne also said that the Canberra authorities have had good cooperation with the Trump administration over the past four years, and praised former U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo as a straightforward friend and partner with ambitious ambitions to enhance U.S.-Australia relations and strengthen the concept of democracy and freedom. In the future, Australia will also actively work with the Biden Administration to address various challenges, including China.
On the other hand, Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds said on Friday that she would spend A$1 billion (more than NT$22 billion) on the development of new naval weapons, including advanced light torpedoes, long-range anti-ship missiles with a range of more than 370 kilometers and extended-range ground-to-air missiles, as well as land and sea strike missiles with a range of 1,500 kilometers, in order to strengthen maritime resources and border protection and to make adversaries a greater threat, “these new warfighting capabilities will provide a strong, reliable deterrent that can ensure regional stability and security.”
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