Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will visit India next week in the Albanese government’s latest diplomatic push to address concerns about China.
| Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will seek to strengthen Australia’s defence ties with India when he visits the country next week, in the latest leg of the government’s diplomatic blitz to rally support among allies concerned about China., confirmed he would travel to India on his way to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda next week.
“Dialogue of itself has value, particularly when we are talking about dialogue between militaries and in a security sense. To have a clear understanding of where each country is at. We have not got back to that point yet,” Mr Marles said in an interview with the“You look at other countries that have very significant issues they are contesting with China. They pay a lot of attention to ensure they have that dialogue in place precisely to make sure there is never any miscalculation or accident.
Mr Marles said while the meeting was a breakthrough given how long it had been since Australia last spoke to China, it should be normal. General Wei also held talks with senior officials from the United States, Japan, New Zealand and other countries in Singapore. “We are not going to be deterred in engaging in the activities we have been engaging in for decades. Most of our trade traverses the South China Sea. We have a deep national interest in it, and we need to be very forthright in protecting that interest,” he said.