Australia is sending a message to China that it will never be worthwhile to try and change the status quo by force, according to former foreign minister Alexander Downer.
Australia is sending a message to China that it will never be worthwhile to try and change the status quo by force according to former foreign minister Alexander Downer. The defence minister and the prime minister on Wednesday announced $270 billion in defence spending over the next ten years including a significant investment in long-range missile technology.
Mr Downer said Australia needs to ensure there is a proper balance of power in the region. “As China emerges from poverty to becoming a rich and powerful country, it wants to dominate the Indo-Pacific region increasingly,” he told Sky News host Chris Kenny. The former Howard government minister said Australia needs to be “blunt with China” and be abundantly clear it will not succeed in any attempt to gain more influence.
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