Australia's presence is indispensable for establishing stability in the Indo-Pacific area. Its new administration must deepen cooperation with such countries as Japan and the United States.
Scott Morrison, former treasurer of Australia, has been installed as prime minister to launch a new Cabinet. His predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull, had to resign after less than three years in office, due to a long slump in his approval rating and a conflict over policy direction within the ruling Liberal Party.
In a congratulatory message to Morrison, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emphasized that Japan and Australia are "special strategic partners" that share such universal values as freedom and democracy, and also strategic interests.
Both Japan and Australia are U.S. allies. It is greatly significant for the Australian government to continue joining the Indo-Pacific Strategy, which is shared by Japan and the United States. It is important to promote security cooperation that includes India, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The Australian military has sent a patrol aircraft to surveil and monitor North Korean ships engaged in smuggling through ship-to-ship cargo transfers in international waters. To maintain and increase sanctions on the North, it is also essential to reinforce cooperation between Japan and Australia.
In July's defense and foreign ministerial meeting with Australia, the United States came out with measures to bolster security.
Guard harbors, communications
China is continuing coercive advances in the East and South China seas as well as on island nations in the South Pacific Ocean that have close relations with Australia. Given the situation, it is a welcome move that the United States and Australia have agreed to increase, at an early date, the number of U.S. Marine Corps troops dispatched on a rotational deployment to Darwin, northern Australia.
China's influence has penetrated Australian political circles, affecting projects to create and improve such important infrastructure as harbors and communications facilities. There is rapidly growing wariness toward China. The new administration will be tested over how to deal with the situation.
In Darwin, a Chinese corporation believed to have close ties with the Chinese military has signed a contract for a long-term lease on a local harbor. It has surfaced that a Chinese businessman made a donation to an Australian opposition legislator, and had him make remarks sympathetic toward China regarding the territorial dispute over the South China Sea.
There is no overlooking China's move to threaten Australia's security and seek to interfere in its domestic affairs. China's conduct seems similar to the way Russia allegedly meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through cyber-attacks and other means.
The Australian government has set out to severely punish espionage and restrict the purchase of harbors and other strategic assets by foreign companies. Citing concerns about national security, it has also excluded two major Chinese communications companies from projects involving 5G, the next-generation communications standard. Both actions are reasonable.
A general election will be held in Australia by the end of next May. It will be an important task for political parties, whether ruling or opposition, to defend their national interests while also building stable relations with China, Australia's largest trading partner.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 2, 2018)
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