Australia tells Beijing to sanction Moscow

PM Scott Morrison says China should use ‘growing power’ for global peace

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday urged China to impose economic sanctions on Russia and denounce President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking in Sydney at an event organised by the Lowy Institute think tank, Morrison said the invasion presented China’s government with a choice: if Beijing was committed to global peace, there must be more action than just words.

“China’s growing power and influence is a geostrategic fact … what we care about is how Beijing uses its strength.

“At this hinge point in history, [Beijing] must demonstrate these are more than just words.”

This should be done by placing economic sanctions on Russia and denouncing Moscow’s actions, according to Morrison.

The Australian leader said, however, he was concerned that China would become an “economic lifeline” to Russia, while noting Beijing’s rhetoric toward the conflict had so far been passive.

Critics said China was facing a dilemma over its stance on the Ukraine crisis, as it tried to balance its strategic partnership with Russia with its positioning on the global stage as a nation that respected national sovereignty.

Last week, China’s top banking regulator said it neither supported Russia, nor would it be taking part in West-led financial sanctions on Moscow.

Instead, Beijing would strive to maintain “normal” trade and financial ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, said Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Commerce Minister Wang Wentao also expressed China’s “hope to promote our normal trade” with the warring states.

The United States and its Western allies have been pushing China to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Beijing has so far refrained from choosing sides and reiterated its stance on the Ukraine “issue” is “based on the merits of the matter concerned”.

Morrison said Australia would not back down from calling out autocratic nations for aggressive behaviour in the region, including China.

“There is no doubt that China has become more assertive and is using its power in ways that are causing concerns across the region and beyond,” he said, highlighting Beijing’s militarisation initiatives in the disputed features in the South China Sea and growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

[China] is using its power in ways that are causing concerns across the region and beyond

SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER