Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has called for Australia to play a more assertive role in its alliance with the United States, accusing Prime Minister Scott Morrison of pandering to departing US President Donald Trump.
Key points:
- Mr Albanese will urge the US to pick its battles with China
- He'll accuse Mr Morrison of cosying up too closely to Mr Trump
- The Labor leader will affirm the ALP's faith in the US alliance
Both sides of politics have been grappling with the full implications of the political chaos in the US in the wake of the January 6 riots at the Capitol.
In a major foreign policy speech timed to coincide with Joe Biden's inauguration as US President, Mr Albanese will call on the new administration to make a "greater, more strategic" effort to strengthen US influence in South-East Asia.
He will urge the US to pick its battles with China, saying both great powers need to compete without forcing smaller countries to take sides or stoking the risk of conflict.
And he'll accuse Mr Morrison of cosying up too closely to Mr Trump, warning Australia should not stay mute if democratic norms are assaulted in the US.
Labor has repeatedly attacked Mr Morrison's initial response to the events of January 6.
Mr Morrison called the violence "distressing" and condemned those who stormed the Capitol but did not directly criticise Mr Trump for inciting the crowd.
'The desire to bring together US allies'
Mr Albanese will allege Mr Morrison trod carefully because he was afraid to confront "far-right extremist fringe dwellers who make up the bedrock of his personal support — and who he cultivates through the avatars of Trumpists and conspiracy theorists like [backbenchers] Craig Kelly and George Christensen."
He will call January 6 the USA's "darkest hour" but emphasise that US institutions showed their strength by pressing on with a vote formalising Mr Biden's victory in the Presidential election.
"US democracy has shown its resilience. Attempts to undermine it have failed. But America came close to the brink," Mr Albanese will tell the Perth USAsia Centre.
"The great tragedy of the recent past is the power of America's example has been diminished from within. It is in Australia's interests as a US ally to encourage the restoration of that power."
The Labor leader will affirm the ALP's faith in the US alliance, declaring it "will remain stronger than ever under a government I lead."
But he will also warn that authoritarian and isolationist undercurrents in the US might "complicate" the new administration's efforts to revive US global leadership.
"Under President Trump, we saw the first steps in a retreat by the US from its historical role as the leader of the post-War international order; an order whose underlying values are those which Australians hold dear," the speech reads.
"So, I welcome Joe Biden's strong commitment to US leadership in the world and the desire to bring together US allies to face challenges."
South-East Asia relations under Biden
The Labor leader will also take a thinly veiled shot at the Trump Administration's diplomacy in South-East Asia, suggesting its relentless focus on confronting China blinded it to the needs of smaller countries in the region.
"We should seek steady and predictable engagement [from the US]. An engagement guided by a deep understanding of regional countries' interests, not attempts to force them to pick sides," Mr Albanese will say.
The Labor leader will acknowledge China is increasingly breaking international rules, driving a bipartisan determination in Washington to compete directly with Xi Jinping's regime.
But he will urge the Biden Administration to focus on providing "credible offers of support to regional countries" and "find[ing] ways to ensure any potential coercion is successfully resisted".
"It's more likely to succeed if President Biden plays to America's strengths and puts some clearer definition around the terms of future US-China competition.
"This should allow the US and its allies to defend clear red lines, but also enable co-existence," he will say.
Mr Albanese will also argue that China's rapid economic growth and burgeoning military power will force the US to work with allies and other regional powers in order to balance Beijing.
"President-elect Biden understands that, even with considerable investment in national power, the only tenable long-term US strategy for the projection of US power and leadership involves working collaboratively with its allies," the speech reads.
He will urge the Biden Administration to join the CP-TPP — a vast regional trade agreement initially championed by the Obama administration but dumped by Mr Trump — saying "the US absence from key regional trade architectures must be addressed".
Labor criticises aid budget cuts
Australian officials have also become increasingly concerned about waning US economic influence in South-East Asia as Chinese investment continues to swell.
Mr Albanese will suggest that Australia could help shape the Biden Administration's strategy by expanding its own aid and investment programs in the region.
The Morrison Government has already ploughed significant resources into its Pacific Step Up, and last year announced a major package of aid and investment initiatives designed to reinforce Australia's influence in South-East Asia.
But Labor has repeatedly criticised cuts to the aid budget under successive Coalition governments, and Mr Albanese will urge Mr Morrison to invest more heavily.
"Further encouraging the US to be more engaged will require Australia to lead the way through our own actions and lift our game in the region," the Labor leader will say.
The speech comes in the wake of Mr Morrison's final phone calls with heavyweights in the Trump Administration.
Mr Morrison has spoken to both Vice-President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, although he's had no contact with Mr Trump.
Mr Morrison stressed there was bipartisan support for the alliance in Washington and said the transition to the Biden Administration would bring much more continuity than change.
"The alliance between Australia and the United States has known many stewards sitting on both sides of the table as presidents and prime ministers. They've come from all sides of politics," he said.
"But the one thing that has always brought us together has been our understanding of how strategic and significant the relationship is, and the best in that relationship is, as I said to Vice-President Pence this morning, is still to come."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAxLTE5L2FsYmFuZXNlLWNhbGxzLWZvci1hdXN0cmFsaWEtdG8tYmUtYXNzZXJ0aXZlLWluLXVzLXJlbGF0aW9ucy8xMzA3MTA0NtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMzA3MTA0Ng?oc=5
2021-01-19 11:46:00Z
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