Australia’s prime minister spoke earlier on Russia and Ukraine, but used the conflict as a clear warning to other countries about the threat he thinks is posed by China.
Russia’s invasion was a wake-up call to Europe but just “the latest example of an authoritarian regime seeking to challenge the status quo through threats and violence”, he said.
Scott Morrison didn’t directly mention China but said his government had been warning about the increasing aggression of autocratic regimes for years.
He even used the same language to describe Russia that he often saves for China – terms like “bullying, coercion and intimidation”.
He pressed home the point that Western democracies needed to be clear-eyed and united in their approach.
“Events are now lifting the veil. Perhaps the scales are beginning to fall from the world’s eyes also. At least I hope so,” Mr Morrison said.
Since 2017, Australia has increasingly voiced concern over China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
It has often been the first to take steps countering this: enacting foreign interference laws in 2018, veto-ing local Chinese investment and business deals, and forming the Aukus security pact with the US and UK last year.
