Australia says disconnect between China’s peace push and ‘alarming’ actions as spy ship sails off its coast
- Defence Minister Peter Dutton said Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea and aggression towards Taiwan show China’s actions being at odds with its rhetoric
- The remarks came as Canberra confirmed it had monitored a Chinese intelligence ship sailing in August inside the country’s EEZ
“We’re all familiar with the frequent claims of the Chinese government that it is committed to peace, cooperation and development,” Dutton said in a speech in Canberra.
“And yet we bear witness to a significant disconnect between the words and the actions. We’ve watched very closely as the Chinese government has engaged in increasingly alarming activities.”
The Chinese embassy in Canberra said Dutton had distorted Beijing’s foreign policy, misled the Australian people and was “fanning conflict and division between peoples and nations”.
“It is inconceivable that China-Australia relationship will take on a good momentum … if the Australian government bases its national strategy on such visionless analysis and outdated mentality,” it said in a statement.