Australia’s contemporary defence technique thought makes a speciality of deterring China’s “coercive ways”

Australia has laid out a new defense strategy which sounds an alarm on China's growing influence in The Wider Pacific region the 80 page document outlines a memo plan in terms of Defense goals including a significant boost to its military capabilities Roger Maynard has all the details this $50 billion increase in.

Defense spending over the next decade will put the country's total defense spending at 2.4% of GDP within the next 10 years years which in monetary terms would total about 330 billion Australian dollars that'll include spending on large investments in space and cyber as well as the nuclear powered submarine Fleet to be built as part of the orus.

Agreement with the United States and Britain CRA has made clear clear that the object of the exercise is to promote peace prosperity and Security in this part of the world not the protection of Australia's borders necessarily but rather projecting defense power further into Asia Australia's defense minister Richard Mars explained the government.

Strategy at the national Press Club in CRA the optimistic assumptions that guided defense planning after the end of the Cold War are long gone our environment is characterized by the uncertainty and tensions of entrenched and increasing strategic competition between the United States and China so the message is clear it's China's.

Growing assertiveness in the region that is prompting this increase in defense expenditure Mr Miles said Australia's geography of our national security did not lie on its Coastline but lay much further a field an invasion of Australia is an unlikely Prospect in any scenario he pointed out because so much damage could be done by an adversary without.

Having to set foot on Australian soil predicting trade routes was also a major consideration especially given that 85% of it fuel supplies came from South Korea Malaysia and Singapore Australia's dependence on this sea line of communication the rules of the road at Sea are everything for us Mr miles added this latest defense boost represents a.

Significant advance in Australia's military capability though there will be some who will argue it's not enough in an increasingly uncertain world as an island nation Australia not only has to look after itself but is dependent on a safe and secure Indo Civic as the defense minister declared the defense of Australia does not mean much without the.

Collective security of the region in which we live Roger mayard CNA Sydney of course Australia's defense minister naming China there one reason for bolstering its defense Bo joined by Olivia Shong in Beijing Olivia how has Beijing reacted to can's new defense strategy especially at a time when China Australia tires are in fact warming up.

Wu China has basically opposed uh this latest assessment and move my Australia calling on Australia to view uh China's development and strategic intentions correctly is foreign Ministry also saying that Australia should do more things that are conducive uh to creating peace in the region and to refrain from quote making accusations about China at.

Every turn and reiterating along uh held position the foreign Ministry said that China did not pose a threat to any country instead uh it turned the blame on what it said were foreign powers saying that the regional risk uh actually come from them trying to create exclusive small circles to create confrontation between camps especially.

In the South China Sea where we have seen a heightened tensions and while no specific countries were named this language has frequent been used by China to describe the US and its Partners which it views as trying to band together to uh contain its influence in the region and we know that recently China has also been.

Angered by those uh first joint drills held by the US Japan Australia and the Philippines in those disputed Waters in the South China Sea where there have also been several skirmishes China responding uh with its own combat patrols and and as you rightly mentioned there uh this all comes at a time as we have seen uh China Australia ties which.

Had been strained in the last few years actually come uh towards a point of stabilization we saw uh China's foreign minister wangi visit recently Australia last month for the first time since 2017 we are expecting the Chinese Premier to make a visit in June as well and uh on the economic front we had seen that roll back on tariffs that China had imposed.

On Australian Goods when relations were rather Rocky especially on Australian wine but now with this data's development it remains to be seen whether the economic relationship can be kept separate from security concerns Wu Olivia you mentioned sensitivities in the South Chinese of course another sensitive Waterway the Taiwan straet is.

Seeing China sending fighter jets after us reconnaissance planes that flew over the Taiwan Street and this just after defense ministers from both sides the US and China had a phone conversation what more can you tell us that's right we have this statement here from the Chinese military which said that it organized fighter jets to.

Shadow and warn uh the US aircraft that was flying over the Taiwan Street this is a similar counter move by China uh that we have seen in the past and China has said that it is acting according to the law and regulations bating we know claims the southr island of Taiwan as part of its territory and said that the troops there remain uh that the troops.

Its troops rather remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely Safeguard its National Security the US on its part though uh saying that it is upholding freedom of navigation and the timing of this move certainly awkward given that earlier in the day we had just heard about that first phone call between uh the defense ministers on both.

Sides Not only was this uh the first time that the two defense Chiefs are speaking to each other in fact it's the first time that there has been any sort of substantial engagement between the top defense uh Chiefs uh between both sides since 2022 the last time was when Mr Austin the US defense secretary met uh then Chinese defense minister w her.

And there's been no formal meeting uh since then also given that the previous defense minister of China had been sanctioned by the US so this phone call would have been seen as a positive step but we do know uh that China in its readout talked about warning the us about its involvement with Taiwan saying that there will be no compromises on.

That front way soon I thanks Ola sh speaking to us there from Beijing

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