Oliver Peterson: Australia’s next big move to take on China

On the back of historic discussions with China, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will travel to Japan this week with a sharp focus on security in the region.
Mr Marles will make his first visit to north Asia on Monday, travelling straight from Singapore, where he attended the Shangri-La Dialogue.
While there, he held Australia’s first ministerial discussion with China in more than two years, during which he affirmed Australia’s concerns about Chinese military might and its position in the Indo-Pacific.
Mr Marles will continue to voice his concerns while in Tokyo, where he will meet with his Defence counterpart, Minister Nobuo Kishi, to discuss the two countries’ shared approach in the Indo-Pacific and to reaffirm a commitment to the Australia-Japan Special Strategic Partnership.
“I am delighted to be in Japan as one of my first international visits as Deputy Prime Minister. Australia and Japan share a vision for an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, one where the sovereignty of all states is respected,” Mr Marles said.
“Japan is a critical partner in achieving our regional objectives. Our partnership continues to grow as we pursue new and ambitious avenues for co-operation, including through the Reciprocal Access Agreement signed in January.”
As part of the visit, Mr Marles will also meet a range of Japanese academic and industry representatives to discuss complex challenges facing the Indo-Pacific.
It comes as Mr Marles’ predecessor, Barnaby Joyce, warned Australia not to bend to China.
“I like the words, but let’s see the actions,” Mr Joyce told Channel 7 on Monday in the wake of Mr Marles’ meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe.
“We’ve seen this before. We’ve seen the discussions, we’ve seen that everything is going to get better and at the same time they continue on with their plan in the background … (which) remains absolutely and utterly targeted, which is the domination of the South Pacific and the intimidation of us to work under their terms.”
Back home, both the Labor government and the opposition are taking their cabinet meetings on the road this week, as they both begin the process of trying to win back disenchanted voters.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will head to WA for shadow cabinet, after the party copped a near-total wipe-out in last month’s election.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will convene his cabinet meeting in Gladstone, in an attempt to show regional Queensland how important it is.
Queensland was the only state where Labor lost ground in the recent election.
- by Ellen Ransley, news.com.au

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