Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has given a major boost to Australian military power and warned of a possible conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
Marles, who is also defense minister, is making his first trip to the U.S. since the Labor government won office.
In a speech to an American think tank overnight, he said Australia would “do its part” to strengthen its military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to deter coercion in the region.
Defense Minister Richard Marles has told an American think tank that Australia will increase its power in Asia Pacific. (9 News)
He said Australia and the United States must work together to counter aggression and preserve rules-based international order. Failure to follow this would mean a “catastrophic failure of deterrence,” Marles warned.
“We can’t afford to stand still,” Marles said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
“In the coming years, the US-Australia alliance will not only have to operate in a much more challenging strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific, but will also have to contribute to a more effective balance of military power to avoid catastrophic failure. of deterrence “.
He highlighted Australia’s concern about the use of force and coercion to advance territorial claims “as is happening in the South China Sea”.
The vast South China Sea has become a major dispute between China and other countries, including Australia.
China has rapidly increased its armed forces and today has the largest navy in the world. (Ministry of Defense of China) (Ministry of Defense of China)
Tensions over disputed waters have risen since 2014, as China has turned sandbanks into islands, equipping them with airfields, ports and weapons systems, and warned Western warships and aircraft. that they would move away from them.
Marles also alluded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine when he warned of the dangers of a nation’s military expansion.
“Events in Europe underscore the risks we face when a country’s determined military build-up convinced its leader that the potential benefit of the conflict was worth the risk.”
Marles said Australia is committed to taking greater responsibility for the nation’s security.
“We will make the necessary investment to increase the range and lethality of the Australian Defense Force so that it can keep potential adverse forces and infrastructure at risk further away from Australia.”
Defense Minister Richard Marles met last month with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Singapore. (Government of Australia)
During her visit to the United States, Marles will hold talks with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to discuss military ties, including the AUKUS agreement under which Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
It comes a month after Marles met her Chinese counterpart in Singapore, in which she said the couple had a “complete and frank conversation”.
And last week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yi Wang for the first time since 2019.
Days later, Chinese officials released a list of four demands he wants Australia to meet if relations get closer.
This week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Wong attend a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji, where China and climate change are expected to dominate the agenda.
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