Prime Minister Morrison
U.S.-China tensions relationship continue to worsen as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison Morrison calls on the United States and China to respect international law peace resolve their disputes.
Beijing and Washington are embroiled in a series of growing disputes over trade, espionage and China's military build-up in the South China Sea, as well as the United States' dispatch of two-carrier combat groups into the South China Sea.
Federal government are concerned about growing Chinese discontent with Australia and have been steadily strengthening its defense ties with the US.
Yet Trump government withdrawal from many international organizations is also disturbing to Australian government and frustrated by its use of American economic power to bully other countries in trade disputes.
Both countries have a "special responsibility" to uphold rapidly fraying international rules, morrison told a keynote address to the asping security forum (Aspen Security Forum) in colorado, usa, via video link.
"As Robert Kagan (Robert Kagan) observed ,'the free rules and norms of the American century are being attacked ,'" he said. The jungle is growing again'."
"We must prefer gardening. And that means respect for international law and peace settlement of disputes. this implies a commitment to rule-based economic interaction. Neither coercion nor abandonment of the international system is the way forward. "
Morrison also understated criticism of Trump government mercantilism.
President Trump opposed a free-trade agreement and struck several U.S. allies and partners with tariffs as he tried to rebuild America's industrial base.
Australia largely escaped the U.S. trade blow unscathed and was exempted from the U.S. steel and aluminum tax on many countries in 2018.
However, after senior U.S. officials tried last year to cancel the steel-aluminum exemption, Australian government had to take full-back action to maintain the exemption.
Prime Minister Morrison warned in his speech that "the coexistence of positively political and security relationship and long-standing confrontational trade relationship could undermine the necessary sense of solidarity among like-minded partners ".
"We should build closer strategic cooperation relationship, lest trade relationship undermine the cohesion of these relationship ," he said. "
He also stressed Australia's efforts to balance China by deepening its defense and economic ties with other major Asian powers, including Indonesia, Japan and India.
"The key priority is to establish a lasting strategic balance in the Indian Ocean-Pacific region ," he said. Make like-minded countries more United, more consistent, and more often cooperate to take action. "
Morrison also reiterated some of his controversial remarks last year, when he warned international institutions such as the common country to oppose "negative globalism ".
Labour accused Morrison of demonizing the common country. Foreign Minister Paine (Marise Payne), in an important speech in June, stressed that Australia would not abandon international multilateral institutions.
At the Aspin Security Forum, Prime Minister Morrison reiterated some criticism of the common State institutions.
"When global institutions and their bureaucracies become irresponsible, when they become vulnerable to manipulation, and when they lose confidence in membership, they are unable to accomplish their tasks ," he said. "
"In a speech a year ago to the Roy Society (Lowy Institute), the Australian Foreign Policy Think Tank, I described this trend as negative globalism. I don't have change ." opinion
He also stressed, however, that Australia would continue to deal with its affairs in international institutions rather than "retreat ".
"As I said then and again now, we believe in positively globalism: countries like Australia interact directly and equally with others in pursuit of common goals ," he said. "
