Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is “realistic” about China’s desire to grow influence, military might

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says China has purposefully chosen to “wield its strength” in a way that threatens regional security, saying Australia is “realistic” about the superpower’s “objectives in changing the regional balance of power”. Currently in Malaysia attending the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, Senator Wong said while no country, including the United States, seeks military confrontation “it is clear” that China intended to increase its “strategic influence” and “military power”. “China’s size and weight makes it central to solving global challenges, from climate change to global public health, from international trade to the energy transition,” she told the Institute for Strategic and International Studies Malaysia. “China continues to assert its strategic influence and project its military power further into our region. “And we have seen the worrying pace of China’s nuclear and conventional military build-up, without the transparency that the region expects.” Her comments comes days before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leaves for a six-day visit to China, where he will meet with President Xi Jinping to discuss global and regional issues. With US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also set to attend the ASEAN meeting in Malaysia, Senator Wong said Australia’s security should not defined by the actions of China or the United States. “We take our own approach to our relationships, to the rules and to this region that we share,” she said. “We are not naive about the headwinds blowing in global trade, or the risks of economic interdependence creating vulnerability as well as strength. “But economic security does not have to be code for putting up walls. It is about making the right investments, with the right partners, at the right time.” Recently, Mr Albanese also invoked the words of former Prime Minister John Curtin in a major speech and said Australia should speak for itself as a “sovereign nation,” and not just as an ally of the US. Senator Wong’s speech also coincided with a $10m funding commitment boost, including $6m for disaster response to be delivered through the Australian Red Cross and the Australian Humanitarian Partnership. The remaining $4m in aid will be delivered via the UN Population Fund to delivery maternal, child and newborn care and support services for mental health, gender-based violence and psychosocial programs.