When the Chinese tested a long-range ballistic missile in the Pacific on the same day Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a new security pact with his Fijian counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, the question was naturally asked: was the timing deliberate or coincidental?
Albanese, along with leaders in New Zealand and Solomon Islands, criticised the tests, with Albanese labelling them “destabilising and provocative”.
But was the missile test really so alarming? As defence expert James Dwyer writes, all nuclear powers – including the United States, United Kingdom and France – carry out similar tests as part of their deterrence strategy. So the complaint may just be that China is joining the club.
The Albanese government has had a much better relationship with China than the previous Morrison government, Michelle Grattan writes, and it’s also worked to foster stronger ties with Pacific nations. But it remains the case that in the Pacific, Australia’s diplomacy is in direct competition with China’s – so there’s always a wall the relationship will hit.
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