“We’ve had unsafe and unprofessional behaviour towards ADF assets and there’s a growing PLA assertiveness. That is a very significant contributing factor, but there’s just a general increased level of anxiety and security concern across the region. Many countries are responding to that in terms of thinking about their own defence modernisations.”
Taiwan, which is democratically governed but a region China views as its own territory, has also faced increased military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including at least seven rounds of major war games around the island since 2022.
Taiwan’s defence ministry has said China had “adopted routine grey zone harassment tactics”, referring to non-combat operations designed to put pressure on nearby nations.
As Chinese military operations expanded in “capability, reach and tempo”, Moriarty flagged an increased likelihood of interaction between Australia and China and urged more diplomatic ties. “In this environment, dialogue with China is vital to register our concerns and manage our differences,” he said.
Deputy secretary Hugh Jeffrey said the primary risk the department feared was a confrontation between the United States and China, and that the department now assessed the prospect as “more risky, not less risky”.
Of particular concern was the deployment of North Korean troops in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with Moriarty saying their return home after training in armed conflict represented a threat to South Korea and the region.
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“They’re certainly collaborating. They have some common objectives, but I think all of those countries would also see themselves as dissatisfied with the international rules-based order as it exists. They are dissatisfied with the preeminence of US power,” Moriarty said.
“A number of those countries have got objectives. They do see some common cause and common opportunities to collaborate, cooperate in a way that is destabilising and the Australian government has taken up those issues.”
with Reuters
