‘Fight together': Britain warns on China, backs Australia

Sydney Morning Herald

11 hours ago

Healey spoke after being asked by The Telegraph what the UK was doing to help countries like Taiwan prepare for potential escalation from China, but he added that he was speaking in general terms and that the UK wanted to settle any disputes peacefully and through diplomacy.
Australians are cautious about the nature of the nation's strategic challenge with China, with 28 per cent of voters saying in March 2023 that it and Russia pose threats that need to be confronted soon.
The results, in the Resolve Political Monitor for this masthead, found that 52 per cent thought China and Russia were threats that could be managed carefully over time.
Deterrent effect
The Resolve Political Monitor found that a clear majority of Australians did not want to side with the US against China, when asked in the days after Donald Trump won the US presidential election last November.
The respondents were asked if they believed Australia should avoid taking sides in any conflict between the US and China. The survey found that 57 per cent agreed, 16 per cent disagreed, and the remainder were unsure.
The UK has made a significant show of force with its contribution to Talisman Sabre this year, sending 3000 personnel at a time when some in the Trump administration have questioned why it should send forces to the Indo-Pacific.
The aircraft carrier was accompanied by an air-defence destroyer and a tanker.
Lammy warned on the weekend that China had to be challenged on its conduct with the UK and other countries, as he blamed it for espionage, repression in Hong Kong and helping allies such as Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The UK Foreign Secretary echoed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by saying the goal was to work with China while disagreeing when necessary.
'We wanted a consistent position on China where we would co-operate what we can, but we would absolutely challenge where we must,' he said.
Albanese has often said: 'We should co-operate where we can, disagree where we must.'
Lammy named China's actions in recent days, when Hong Kong authorities offered cash to anyone who would help them arrest pro-democracy activists in other countries, as an example of 'transnational repression' that should stop.
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'We challenge China on their espionage in the UK; we are hugely concerned about the sanctioning of members of parliament. We have big issues with transnational repression,' he said in a question-and-answer session with Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove.
'So we have very tough issues that I have raised continually with [Foreign Minister] Wang Yi and the Chinese.'
At the same time, he said, he wanted to co-operate with China on climate change, world health and trade.
Lammy said he had presented Chinese leaders with a list of their companies helping Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine.
'I've been in Kyiv, I've seen the shells that have come from North Korea, killing Europeans,' he said during remarks to the Lowy Institute on Saturday.