Top U.S. and Australian officials have concluded the latest AUSMIN meeting with the signing of multiple agreements and pledged to increase U.S. military rotations in Australia.
The four key officials responsible for the U.S.-Australia partnership include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.
In a joint statement, they issued a stark warning that Beijing’s “destabilizing actions including in the South China Sea and East China Sea increase tensions and undermine peace and stability” in the region.
They said that Beijing’s “excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea … are inconsistent with international law and [represent] unilateral actions to change the status quo by force or coercion.”
The statement also signaled a greater U.S. military involvement on Australian soil, referring to “more frequent rotational deployments to Australia across air, land, and maritime domains, including across northern Australia” and “frequent rotations of bombers, fighter aircraft, and maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.”
This was done to enhance deterrence and interoperability between the two nations’ defense forces in the Indo-Pacific region.
A “proof of principle prepositioning” of U.S. Army equipment at Albury-Wodonga has proved successful. As a result, both countries intend to assess the site for long-term use. Work is also underway to define requirements for an “enduring logistics support area in Queensland.”
Upgrades are also taking place at key Australian bases such as RAAF Darwin and Tindal. Other bases at Curtin, Learmonth, Scherger may also be improved. Australia plans to enhance infrastructure at its base in Cocos (Keeling) Islands with support from the United States.
The joint statement revealed several weapons projects under AUKUS Pillar Two that both countries are working on together including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), expected by 2025; as well as a Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM).
The specter of Chinese Communist Party’s influence loomed over this joint statement as officials expressed grave concerns over Beijing’s coercive actions.
Officials condemned Beijing’s recent behavior towards Philippine vessels operating within their exclusive economic zone as well as unsafe encounters with naval vessels exercising freedom of navigation.
Another area mentioned was Taiwan Strait where they accused Beijing again of trying to bring about unilateral changes to status quo.They urged dialogue without threat or use force.
Both US & Aus reiterated commitment work together strengthen economic trade people-to-people ties w/ Taiwan
China’s human rights record was criticized particularly regarding Xinjiang & Tibet.
They expressed disappointment that China rejected all recommendations made during Universal Periodic Review on human rights record.
Despite tensions they emphasized importance cooperation w/China on global issues like climate change food security debt sustainability
They emphasized importance maintaining open channels communication avoid miscommunication miscalculation leading unintended escalation conflict