Australia must contest the People’s Republic of China as an economic option in the Indo-Pacific

The American Global Strategies non-executive vice chairman and recently announced chairman of Space Centre Australia made the comments during an exclusive Defence Connect podcast published on 31 October.

Morrison had recently concluded a lecture at the Yomiuri International Economic Society in Tokyo in September.

“You sort of just need a common game plan (for the QUAD Alliance between Australia, India, Japan and the United States). And this isn’t just about defence or security; it’s also about economic engagement,” Morrison said.

“Too often ... particularly in our own region, south-east Asia and south Asia, China turns up and then everybody turns around and walks away. No, we should be doubling down in those circumstances, competing.

“I know that Indonesia, for example, they don’t want one choice, they want two choices, and we’ve got to make sure there are two choices. I think that’s true for Malaysia, I think it’s true in the Philippines ... although Philippines is an ally of the United States, and that gives us a greater advantage as with Thailand.

“We need to be present and not just the government. I think the mistake we often make in trying to deal with the rather assertive policies of the People’s Republic of China in the region is we just try and make it a government-to-government competition with aid funding and debt-related funds, police operations.

“That’s all good stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I think those are all great initiatives, but when it comes to economic security, then it is about facilitating our great advantage as entrepreneurial market-based economies and seeing the flow of institutional capital into these countries to develop their economies. That’s what they want to see.

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“I mean when (then Indonesian leader) Joko Widodo or (India’s leader) Narendra Modi I’d speak to, and we’d talk about our economic partnership, the people they wanted to get to know were our institutional funds and have the opportunity to attract their capital to develop their economies.

“Now, private capital, when you combine it out of the US, Japan, Australia, and India leaves public capital out of the People’s Republic of China in its wake.

“(We need to) make sure that we’re contesting and that there are options that [do not] dominate those countries at all but to ensure that they have economic choices and they preserve their economic sovereignty.

“Because if they’re left with one choice, they’re left very vulnerable. And as a result, we have strategic assets in strategic places that become controlled by interests that are adversarial to our own.”

Australia’s own efforts have deployed the Australian Federal Police as part of the first deployment of the Pacific Police Support Group (PPSG) to Samoa during its successful Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) earlier this month.

“More than 40 police officers from 11 Pacific countries were part of this deployment under the direction of Samoa Police, and operationally led by an officer of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. It includes three AFP officers and is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together,” according to a statement from the AFP.

“The PPSG is part of the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI), a collective regional response to ensure peace and security across the Pacific. The PPSG is a deployable police force that can provide assistance during major events and support in times of crisis, at the request of a Pacific country.

“A huge thank you to Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services for welcoming the PPSG and trusting them to support a safe and secure CHOGM.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with all our Pacific policing partners to ensure peace, security and prosperity across the Pacific.”

Australian Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery and Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy, speaking during a National Press Club Address on 31 October, confirmed that Australia is making efforts to strengthen its partnerships in the region.

“A couple of things. One, we’re still negotiating the finer details of support for a National Rugby League team from Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“But I can say to you with joy that nothing will bring the two peoples closer together than a National Rugby League team from Port Moresby playing in Australia. It is critical to bringing the countries together.

“It’s not just about people-to-people links; it’s an economic development strategy, and it’s also one that is also a vehicle for gender equality. Sport is a great part of that, and we’ve got a broader sports diplomacy agenda of supporting the Pacific, bringing peoples together.

“Prime Minister Marape [and] Foreign Minister Tkatchenko have repeatedly said, including in Australia, that Australia is their partner of choice, their security partner of choice. And that’s an honour and privilege we are honoured to have, and we’ll hopefully continue to be their security partner of choice. And that’s part of multiple endeavours to bring our countries closer together.

“Strategic trust is a critical part of any work in the region, and we’re really proud to have repaired our relationships with the Pacific.”