ExtraNews – The likelihood of a per4ng in the Asia Pacific region involving China is strengthening.
That’s according to a statement by Australia’s former defence minister, Christopher Pyne, who also mentioned Taiwan as the next conflict area.
In a speech before University of Adelaide graduate students, the Liberal party politician said “the strategic actions taken by the people of the People’s Republic of China are not as tame as they used to be.”
As a result this raises concerns for the United States and its allies.
“In fact, China is confident and capable, nor is it shy to point it out,” Christopher warned the students.
Christopher, who ended his stint as Australian Defence Minister in 2019, said the likelihood of a “military coup” in the Indo-Pacific region was now greater than when he was a minister.
“Five years ago I could say the possibility of [the war] was very small, now I have to say the possibility is greater than that time,” he said.
“It’s not cyber warfare, it’s the real war that’s taking down casualties, destroying military defenses, dealing with attackers and being attacked.”
“It’s not just a word, but it’s something that me and you will probably face in the next five to 10 years.”
Since leaving politics, Christopher has been heavily criticised for lobbying for companies in the military in Australia.
But he was still able to speak before graduates of the Faculty of Law from the University of Adelaide on Monday (12/04), about how he thinks China’s strength in the military is growing rapidly.
“While the United States is still a country in the world that spends one out of every two dollars on military purposes, surprising data shows China’s defense budget in 2021 is $210 billion,” he said.
“China’s military forces are well prepared for asymmetry wars with America and its allies in the western and southeastern regions of Asia. Australia is one of its allies.”
Avoiding p3rang is a top priority
Last month, Marshal Philip S Davidson, of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, said it was important for the United States to defend its territory in the Pacific from china’s possible entry.
In his speech, Christopher also mentioned the actions China has taken in recent days to support his argument about the increasingly urgent threat from china’s military.
These include how China took over Hong Kong and ignored criticism of its treatment of ethnic Uyghurs.
“It feels like they’re strong enough to take control of the South China Sea, despite the Obama administration’s promise in Washington that they wouldn’t make the reef and shoals a military territory, [they] still do,” he said.
“The most worrying thing is the pressure on Taiwan, the region most likely to be the source of conflict in the region.”
Earlier in April, a senior United States diplomat confirmed that Australia and the United States had discussed an emergency plan in the event of a military conflict with Taiwan.
However, Pyne said “avoiding war is the most important defence and is a foreign policy priority as a nation.”
“This will not be achieved if we distance ourselves from our allies such as the US, Japan and India. Precisely what needs to be done is the opposite,” Payne said.
“No one wants to impose a policy of detention on China, however, everyone wants to build a policy of cooperation with China that can benefit the whole region.” [Aji Corps/*]
