China’s intimidation campaign against Australia has failed, says a senior US diplomat who has also congratulated the Albanese government on its “strong, purposeful diplomacy”.
The White House’s Indo-Pacific Co-ordinator, Kurt Campbell, said that Beijing’s trade bans on Australia, its freeze on political contacts with Canberra and other pressure tactics had failed “by any measure”.
He credited both the Coalition and Labor governments for years of Australian determination to hold its ground against the demands of the Chinese Communist Party.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after the first leader-to-leader meeting between Australia and China in six years, Campbell said Prime Minister Albanese had shown “a very steady hand” in bringing the freeze to an end on Australia’s terms. Beijing initiated the meeting.
He also said that while the Biden administration had very good relations with the Morrison government, the election of the Labor government had opened a new avenue of cooperation with the US.
“What has really changed is that, under the previous government, while we had very good relations, we were unable to really share strategic approaches to climate,” he said.
“Albanese has tried very hard to work hand in glove with us … to coordinate in advance of COP meetings and the like.”
Albanese also held a 45-minute meeting with US President Joe Biden this week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali. It was their fourth meeting in the six months of the Albanese prime ministership.
Campbell remarked after the meeting: “Albanese and Biden have a very easy rapport and a strong sense of shared experience as leaders in this challenging period.”
Speaking of the Australia-UK-US security agreement to help Australia acquire nuclear propelled submarines and other cutting-edge capabilities, including hypersonic missiles, the US official said: “Both leaders are deeply committed to concluding AUKUS on schedule and delivering submarines and other enhanced technologies before expectations.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden have developed a “very easy rapport”.Credit:James Brickwood
Asked the status of Beijing’s campaign of intimidation against Australia, Campbell said: “By any measure it has failed.”
“The best measures of this are a more diversified Australian economy, the profound commitment to join AUKUS, the leading role in the Quad, and the refusal to back down in the face of sustained efforts to diplomatically intimidate and commercially punish.
“Australia has determinedly stood its ground. What I’m impressed by is the Australians aren’t laying out publicly what their conditions are, but are clearly indicating to the People’s Republic of China in private what’s going to need to happen to resume more normal relations.
“That’s purposeful, strong diplomacy. A very steady hand.”
In Albanese’s half-hour meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the prime minister raised a range of Australian complaints and concerns about China’s policies.
These included China’s trade “blockages” on some Australian exports, the repression of the Uighur minority in China’s Xinjiang province, and the detention of two Australian citizens, journalist Cheng Lei and writer Yang Hengjun. He also stressed the importance of the South China Sea as an international shipping and aviation thoroughfare.
Campbell pointed to consistent US support of Australia under Biden: “If you look at what the US has done in the last two years, virtually everything significant has included Australia.
“That’s AUKUS, the NATO Asia gathering, the Quad, and the Partnership of the Blue Pacific, which has gotten less attention but which is part of a major American effort to step up our game in the Pacific.
“Australia has been the crucial partner in all we are doing.”
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