US President Joe Biden, top Pacific envoy on Wednesday, accused China of trying to drive Australia to the knees through a barrage of sanctions that amounted to economic warfare. Veteran diplomat Kurt Campbell criticized Beijing for strong-arm tactics.
Over the last two years, China has introduced a raft of punitive sanctions on Australian goods in a political dispute that has frozen ministerial contacts and plunged relations into the most serious crisis since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, despite the fact that China is increasingly bellicose and determined to impose its will overseas.
Campbell, who currently serves as the White House Indo-Pacific coordinator, said Australia was on its knees to drive it to its knees.
China has angered Australia over its willingness to legislate against overseas influence operations, to ban Huawei from 5 G contracts and to demand an independent investigation into the origins of the coronaviruses epidemic.
Australian barley, coal, copper ores, cotton, hay, logs, rock lobsters, sugar, wine, beef, citrus fruit, grains, table grapes, dairy products, and infant formula have all been subject to Chinese sanctions.
Under President Xi Jinping the US ambassador said that China has become more risk acceptant, more assertive and more determined to take steps that other countries would view as coercive. Biden administration has embraced a policy of strategic competition with China, acknowledging rivalry between the two powers but maintaining ties so conflicts don't spiral out of hand.
On Wednesday, Beijing repudiated the comments on Wednesday, claiming Australian politicians had played up the China threat theory, accused and attacked China for no reason, provoked tension and created confrontation. We hope the relevant people on the US side will not confuse right and wrong, Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference.
Biden recently shocked many in the region by agreeing to share sensitive nuclear-powered submarine technology with Canberra, allowing Australia to dramatically increase its military deterrence.
Campbell indicated that the move would bind the three allies for generations, as part of a broader three-way AUKUS agreement that includes Britain.
When we look back on the Biden administration, I believe that it will be one of the most significant things that we will accomplish. I think it will be taken as a given in the next 20 years that our sailors will sail together, our submarines port in Australia. Campbell admitted that Canberra and London's economic ties with a rapidly growing China had put the alliance in doubt.
If you asked the countries that were most likely to realign strategic and kind of rethink its options, you're in for seven or eight years ago. He said that Great Britain and Australia would probably be near the top of that list.
Campbell also revealed that other Pacific allies would likely take part in cyber or other non-submarine aspects of the AUKUS agreement.
Many close allies have come to us in the immediate aftermath and said, Can we participate? It is to the credit of Australia and Great Britain that they insisted that this is not a closed architecture.