Australian Defence Minister and Chinese Counterpart Hold Talks on Military Confrontations
Richard Marles has expressed Australia’s concerns over Beijing’s recent aggression in a sideline meeting.
Australia addressed Beijing over dangerous military incidents in the Indo-Pacific region at an international security conference in Singapore.
During the International Institute for Strategic Studies 21st Asia Security Summit in Singapore, Australia’s Richard Marles met with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun to discuss at least two unsafe incidents involving the Chinese military and Australian defence personnel.
These incidents included a Chinese jet forcing an Australian navy helicopter to take evasive action by dropping flares in front of it, and a Chinese ship using sonar pulses against naval divers.
“We have seen some unsafe incidents, and I raised them with Minister Dong in a frank conversation,” Mr. Marles told Sky News.
He also called on China to intervene in the conflict in Ukraine in his speech at the conference.
Despite the distance, the war in Ukraine remains relevant to Australia in this interconnected world.
Mr. Marles emphasized the importance of building trust with China in order to maintain the global rules-based order and ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson criticized government ministers for not starting dialogues with their counterparts sooner, but Mr. Marles defended the timing, citing the complex nature of the relationship between Australia and China.
