Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said in a speech on Wednesday that Australia was increasing its missile defense and long-range strike capability, and would cooperate with security partners including the US, Japan and South Korea. He also raised "significant concerns" about China's recent test of an ICBM in the South Pacific. 

Since the US started to implement, promote and expand its "Indo-Pacific Strategy" which aims to contain, deter and disrupt China's peaceful development, Australia has been assigned specific strategic roles on Washington's regional chessboard in the Asia-Pacific. On the one hand, Australia has continued to serve as a military base for US-led armed forces with intelligence and spying facilities, ports and airfields for the US military deployment, maintenance and repair services, fuel reserves, and training and rehabilitation bases for military personnel. On the other hand, Washington aspires to take advantage of its allies and partners to serve as its pawns in its anti-China strategy, and as a result, Australia's role is gradually being transformed into a more assertive and aggressive "spear from the south," capable of launching long-range offenses to participate in prospective US-led military operations.

AUKUS is in appearance a trilateral grouping among Australia, the UK and the US, but in essence it is a tactic framework purported to arm Australia with military offence capabilities. However, in spite of all the pomposity and smug rhetoric, the implementation and advancement of AUKUS, in particular its so-called "Pillar One," has been extremely slow and far behind expectations. On the issue of manufacturing and purchasing nuclear-powered submarines, various plans and proposals have emerged and contradicted one another, with the delivery of a single submarine still a far-away dream. The "Pillar Two" is an even more preposterous "castle in the air," as the US has strict rules of technological transfer to other countries, even its allies and partners. Therefore, under the current circumstances, in order to fulfil the target in Washington's strategy, the goal of rapidly strengthening Australia's long-range military strike capabilities can only be achieved through the making and purchasing of medium-range and long-range missiles.

Australia is an insular continent surrounded by sea and has no territorial disputes or historical grievances with most of other countries. For a long time, Australia's security strategy has been focused on defense and border security while at the same time contributing to its allies' overseas military operations. It is plain to any eye that Canberra's plan to equip with long-range military power delivery and military strike capabilities is fundamentally to serve US' global and regional strategies, in particular Washington's "Indo-Pacific Strategy" with China as the target.

Australia's economy is suffering from stagflation, with inflation remaining high and people's living standards affected. However, Canberra seems to have turned a blind eye to the such economic plight and people's grievances, and is still pouring huge sums of money on submarines, missiles and other projects with little regard of costs and consequences. While bowing to enticements and pressures from Washington, some politicians in the Anthony Albanese administration seem to have adopted a myopic approach for immediate political gains. With the federal parliament election to take place next year, it seems to be catering to the predilections of the Australian hawkish elements in order to coax for their support and votes.

To succumb to the pressures from the US and the domestic far-right forces, Australia has been in effect enhancing its role as a military threat to China's security, which will lead to China's mounting vigilance against Australia, forcing China to put Australia on the radar range of security defense. There has never been any cause for China and Australia to engage in military hostility or confrontation, but by posing as a threat to China's security, Australia will invite its own security risks.

The author is professor and executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Centre, East China Normal University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn