Scott Morrison says an ‘arc of autocracy from Beijing to Moscow’ is ‘challenging the rules-based world order’ our ancestors fought to secure as he rallies Australians ahead of ANZAC day.
As Aussies across the country gather on Monday to remember fallen soldiers, the prime minister will deliver a speech in Darwin to mark the 80th anniversary since the northern port city was bombed by Japan in World War II.
But with Ukraine reverberating with Russian artillery and Australia’s security now under threat from Chinese expansion, Mr Morrison will focus on how the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ of previous generations to obtain peace is now becoming undone.
Writing in The Australian, the PM said in his address he will remind fellow countrymen of the hard-won freedoms of their forefathers – and how they should be honoured now, more than ever, as the world is ‘changing before our eyes’.
‘War stalks Europe again, coercion troubles our own region once more, and an arc of autocracy from Beijing to Moscow is challenging the rules-based world order our grandparents’ generation sought to secure,’ Mr Morrison says.
‘In facing this world, we must remember again.’
Scott Morrison has warned China would be crossing a ‘red line’ if it builds a military presence less than 2000km away from Australia on the Solomon Islands
In his speech, Mr Morrison will say that the ‘most sacred day in our nation’s calendar’ is a reminder of the values more than 100,000 Australians paid the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ for, which were once again under attack.
‘It’s true that when it comes to the defence of Australia, military capability matters. Alliances matter. Strategy matters,’ he will say.
‘But what ultimately matters is a people with a fierce and protective love – a love of home, family, community and country.
‘A willingness to live – and possibly die – for something greater than themselves.
‘In remembering, we see the character and values of Australians who have faced the worst and sacrificed the most.’
The insight comes as Mr Morrison warns China establishing a military base on Australia’s ‘doorstep’ would be a ‘red line’ after Beijing signed a new security agreement with the Solomon Islands.
The federal government has come under fire for not taking preventative action to stop the communist superpower from securing a foothold in the South Pacific after the two nations finalised the controversial pact on Tuesday.
Solomon Islands have cemented ties with China with a new security pact finalised this week. Pictured are Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in 2019
The alliance has sparked fears China will act swiftly to set up a military base less than 2,000km from Australian shores, with experts predicting armed forces could arrive on the island within weeks.
Author Clive Hamilton, a public ethics professor at Charles Sturt University, told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Morrison and his government had ‘no foresight into China’s intentions’ and that ‘we should all be worried’.
But the prime minister on Sunday brushed off criticism over his handling of the situation, dubbed the ‘worst Australian policy failure’ in decades, and asserted his confidence that China will not encroach any closer.
Although he refused to pinpoint exactly when they last spoke, Mr Morrison said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare insisted he has no plans to allow China to build a military presence on his shores.
‘He was very clear in his latest communication with me not that long ago that he has no intention of putting a naval base on the Solomon Islands, and so we have always upped the investment across the Pacific,’ Mr Morrison told reporters.
‘The most important discussions I’ve had have been with other Pacific nations that share Australia’s view… and they have been also directly communicating those views to the Solomon Islands government.
The alliance has sparked fears China may expand its military presence in the Pacific. Pictured: Chinese troops take part in marching drills in September 2019
‘This is a shared concern… I share the same red line that the US has when it comes to these issues.’
Mr Morrison’s comments come after President Joe Biden earlier this week sent two top diplomats to the archipelagic state for crisis talks with Mr Sogavare, where they urged the leader to resist Chinese pressure to erect a military base.
In a meeting in Honiara on Friday, White House Indo-Pacific co-ordinator Kurt Campbell and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink warned Mr Sogavare the move would risk stability in the Pacific.
Pictured: Clive Hamilton
However, Mr Sogavare showed his indifference towards Australia’s objection and the American delegation’s visit by extolling his strong union with China during a press conference hours earlier.
Standing alongside Chinese ambassador Li Ming to open a sporting centre, Mr Sogavare said he had created diplomatic ties with China three years ago ‘for very, very good reasons’.
Meanwhile, Mr Li called for other countries to respect the two nations’ agreement.
‘I sincerely hope the sovereignty and security interests of Solomon Islands and China will be duly respected,’ he said.
‘The Pacific region should become a stage for international co-operation, not geopolitical competition.’
Although Mr Sogavore has vowed to not allow China to develop a military base, Australian and US officials fear he will not be able to resist pressure from Beijing.
Labor has slammed the government for ‘dropping the ball’, accusing the Coalition of failing to make serious diplomatic moves because senior members were too busy campaigning for the upcoming federal election.
Prime Minister Sogavare and his Cabinet met with US officials earlier this week after signing the deal with China
ALP foreign affairs spokesperson Penny Wong lashed the Coalition on Wednesday, raising concerns the deal would incite security instability in the region.
‘Yet again Mr Morrison has gone missing and might talk a tough game, but what we are seeing on his watch is the worst Australian foreign policy blunder in the Pacific since the end of world war II,’ Ms Wong told ABC News.
In a last-ditch bid to quash the deal, Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja was sent to the Solomon Islands on an unsuccessful visit to ‘respectfully’ ask Mr Sogavare to reconsider signing.
Foreign affairs minister Marisa Payne and Mr Seselja, said they were ‘deeply disappointed’ by the pact, and would ‘seek further clarity on the terms of the agreement, and its consequences for the Pacific region’.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the Solomon Islands government led by prime minister Manasseh Sogavare had guaranteed it would not allow the Chinese to build naval bases. The pair is pictured together
‘We are concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed, noting its potential to undermine stability in our region,’ they said in a statement late on Tuesday.
Professor Hamilton agreed with Labor, saying the security deal was a major blunder on behalf of the government.
‘The China-Solomons security pact is a huge win for Beijing’s political and military ambitions in our region. And disastrous for Australia’s security,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Unless it can be reversed, it changes everything. We knew China was looking for a site for a naval base in the Pacific but the government was complacent. It didn’t drop the ball, it wasn’t even playing the game.
‘Beijing keeps surprising us with how fast it can move. We can expect ships and security personnel on the Solomon Islands within weeks.’
Mr Hamilton said Australia and the West’s strategy of engaging in the communist power in the hope it would liberalise took hold in the 1990s, but the CCP has ‘gone the opposite way’.
The US has warned Prime Minister Sogavare the establishment of Chinese military bases in the Solomon Islands would destabilise the region
He explained the dream to liberalise the authoritarian regime was jettisoned by the Turnbull government, and Mr Morrison and Ms Payne should be held to account for the ‘catastrophic failure’.
‘Although the United States should have been doing more, most of the blame is down to Morrison and Payne. They had no real foresight into China’s intentions and no strategy to counter its tactics. They are boy scouts up against Don Corleone,’ he said.
‘Morrison and Payne say we must respect the Solomon Islands’ sovereignty while Beijing just bribes its political leaders. We sent our security forces in to prop up Sogavare’s rule, but Beijing has Prime Minister Sogavare in its pocket.’
Mr Hamilton said the agreement was ‘shrouded in mystery for a reason’ and ‘that should worry us’.
He called for our Pacific engagement strategy to be torn up and redrafted to reflect the new situation.
Instructors from a China Police Liaison Team train Solomons Islands Police Force officers in March this year. The Chinese instructors were teaching the local police unarmed combat skills and how to use automatic weapons
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