Former Federal Defense Minister and WA Governor Kim Beazley has urged Australia to focus on strengthening its relationship with India to compete with the rise of China.
Key Points:
- Beazley says it is not possible to contain China’s rise
- He says the existing system needs a balance and India could provide it
- He says India can be a champion of “international, liberal, global political order and”
Speaking at the Indian Ocean Defense and Security Conference in Perth, Mr. Beazley said Australia had a “huge set of expectations” on their shoulders.
“China has turned the Indian Ocean into a strategic system. It is their right to do so,” he said.
“Can we contain it? Can we deny it? The answer to that is no. It is neither possible to contain it nor to deny it.
“What we can do is compete with it, and it is competition with it that now dominates the thinking of the people of our state today.”
Beazley sees an important balancing role for India
Beazley said that “in a system that required balances”, the power that most needed to be mobilized was India.
“The question is what kind of player do we want the Indians to be?” said Mr. Beazley.
“I would say that we need to present to them as strongly as we can … the idea that they should be defenders of the international, liberal, global political order.”
“This is not easy for India,” he continued, citing demonstrations of Chinese naval capability, including the search for MH370.
Mark McGowan wants WA to welcome a bigger defense presence. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
WA Premier Mark McGowan also addressed the conference, boasting of WA’s strong economy and calling for the state to host a greater defense presence.
He said those resources could help protect valuable assets in the state’s north, which he noted produced about half of Australia’s export value.
“I don’t think there’s a high likelihood that these resources will be claimed at short notice,” he said.
“But if the question is, given our nation’s capability and interests, where should our personnel and assets be placed, then surely additional assets and personnel on the land in Western Australia.”
McGowan says it’s immature to suggest that a country is your enemy because it doesn’t share your values. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
He went on to call for “cool heads to prevail” in discussions and warned against rattling sabers.
“It’s immature to suggest that just because a country doesn’t share your values, that makes them your enemy,” McGowan told the crowd.
“Reckless language and unnecessary provocation undermine the stability of our economy and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of West Australians, and half of Australia’s export earnings.”
Beazley was one of the few speakers to discuss China by name, but others spoke of its influence and impact in more general terms.
WA Defense Industry Minister Paul Papalia said the conference was about looking at the bigger strategic picture across the region.
Police and Defense Minister Paul Papalia says the strategic review is taking place at an important time. (ABC News: Gian De Poloni)
He also noted that the two men currently leading a strategic review of Australia’s military structure and readiness, Stephen Smith and retired Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston, were at the conference.
“Clearly that [review] it’s a response to what has changed in the world in recent years,” he said.
Stephen Smith (centre) and Kim Beazley (right) are leading a strategic review of Australia’s defense readiness. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
“Not just China, also what Russia has done is improve the rules-based order, so it’s really topical and it’s relevant and it’s good that we’re having it.”
Papalia also reflected on the role WA needed to play in fostering relations with India, saying the West is where the Quad, a partnership with India, Japan and the United States, “is it’s real.”