‘China’s support of Pacific nations shouldn’t alarm Australia’

CANBERRA: China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian sought to reassure on Wednesday that his country’s increased involvement in the Pacific, particularly in policing efforts, should not be a cause of alarm for Canberra.

At his first news conference of the year in the capital Canberra, Xiao maintained that Australia should not harbor anxiety about China’s intentions in the region.

“Pacific Islands countries is an area where China and Australia can cooperate and can contribute together instead of asking them to choose between the two,” Xiao told the media. “What China has been doing is to help them to for their social stability, economic development and for bilateral trade relations.”

Concerns of China’s encroachment in the South Pacific escalated last year when the Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China, raising fears of a military buildup in the region.

“We’re not seeking military strategies. We’re not seeking military purposes. And there’s no need for any so-called anxiety on the part of Australia,” Xiao said.

Addressing Nauru’s decision on Tuesday to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, Xiao said it was a sovereign choice by Nauru and would not impact Australia’s relations with the small island nation.

“The relation between China and Nauru is a reflection of the overwhelming, increasing consensus in the international community that in this world, there’s only one China, and Taiwan is part of China,” the envoy said.

Regarding Australia-China relations, Xiao acknowledged that ties had stabilized after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Beijing last November, marking the first by an Australian head of government in seven years and the lifting of trade blocks imposed in 2020 on a raft of Australian exports.

He expressed China’s desire “to continue the good momentum” in further improving the relationship, while also highlighting the need for collaboration in the defense sector.

“The defense relationship between our two countries is an area [that we really need] to put more inputs and work harder on,” Xiao said. “This area [is] so important to the mutual trust and confidence between our two countries and two peoples. If you can have trust between two militaries, you do have real trust.”

He added that China had lodged a diplomatic protest with Australia over its congratulations to Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its own and has vowed to retake it one day, by force if needed — over the election of its new leader Lai Ching-te.