By Shannon Tiezzi
Australia’s ability to walk a geopolitical tightrope was on display during Abbott’s visit to DC.
Australian Prime Minster Tony Abbott met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House yesterday. After their meeting, Obama made the surprise announcement that the U.S. and Australia have reached “additional agreements around force posture postures that will enhance the bilateral cooperation between our militaries and give us additional reach throughout this very important part of the world.” The new Force Posture Agreement comes in addition to a 2011 deal that allows for 2,500 Marines to be deployed on a rotational basis at Darwin in northern Australia.
Neither Obama nor Abbott expanded on the specifics of the new Force Posture Agreement, but The Australian reported that the new deal could increase the number of U.S. marines rotating through Darwin as well as possibly opening up an Australian port for access by U.S. destroyers.
News of an increased U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific usually sparks condemnation from China, as Beijing sees the U.S. “rebalance to Asia” as a thinly veiled cover for containment. In the wake of the 2011 announcement that U.S. Marines would be coming to Darwin, China’s Foreign Ministry questioned “whether strengthening and expanding military alliance is appropriate.” The Global Times also warned that “Australia itself will be caught in the crossfire” if Australian military bases were used by the U.S. to “harm Chinese interests.”
This time, the response has been more upbeat. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized that “the Asia-Pacific region belongs to all, and it is in the common interests of various parties that the region maintains peace, stability and prosperity.” Xinhua republished the quote in a short article titled “China hopeful on U.S. marine deployment in Australia.” Other Chinese media reports emphasized Australia’s strong economic relations with China, including promising progress in negotiations over a FTA. There was an overall consensus that Abbott was decidedly more friendly toward China than many previous Australian prime ministers, making increased U.S.-Australia cooperation less threatening from Beijing’s perspective.
Read the full story at The Diplomat