Defence Minister Peter Dutton says China considers Australia a 'tributary state' that should submit to its power

Summary

Beijing would quickly dominate Asia if it succeeded in invading Taiwan. That's the warning from the Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who also warned that China sees other countries in the region as 'tributary states'. The key points of Mr Dutton's address to the National Press Club include:

Australia's main desire was to secure peace by deterring China from aggression with the help of other neighbouring countries. 

If China took control of Taiwan, it would quickly seize other disputed areas, including the Senkaku Islands, claimed by both China and Japan.

Australia must act as a strong deterrent to Chinese aggression in the region.

In the absence of counter-pressure, the Chinese government becomes the sole security and economic partner for Indo-Pacific nations.

While Australia was striving for peace and deterrence, the region also needed to calculate the costs of inaction.

China's militarization of the South China Sea, its crackdown on Hong Kong and the intrusions of Chinese coastguard ships into disputed waters was unacceptable.

Mr Dutton said his comment about it being 'inconceivable' Australia wouldn't join the United States was not a formal pre-commitment to a future war but was a statement of the Coalition's trust in the US-Australia Alliance.

References

Nov 2021 ABC Australia Trade Minister hopes Australia and China can have 'meaningful' dialogue after Xi, Biden meeting

Nov 2021 The Guardian ‘Mistakes of the 1930s’: Peter Dutton ramps up China rhetoric as Keating calls him a ‘dangerous personality’

Nov 2021 The Guardian Taiwan thanks Australian PM and defence minister for grim warning over China

Nov 2021 AFR China won’t stop at Taiwan, warns Peter Dutton