Sydney, March 7 (Agency) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday singled out China and its response so far to Russia’s invasion. “The world has heard China’s words about its commitment to global peace and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity for a long time now. “It is up to China, at this hinge point of history, to demonstrate these are more than just words,” Morrison said while delivering a lengthy foreign policy speech here. The early signs were “not good”, he said, pointing out Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s meeting at the Winter Olympics, China’s support for Russian wheat exports, and Beijing’s language which “pretended to… even a ‘legitimate’ cause for Russia to invade Ukraine”. “No country would have a greater impact on Russia than China joining the rest of the world in denouncing Russia’s aggression and applying the same sanctions.
So far they have not.” Relations between China and Australia have dived in recent years as Canberra has vocalised concerns about Beijing’s alleged interference in domestic politics and affairs – something China denies, the BBC report said. The Morrison government has become more explicit in stating concerns about China’s power in the Indo-Pacific region. Morrison warned a “new arc of autocracy is instinctively aligning to challenge and reset the world order in their own image”. He emphasised that Australia was working with other like-minded countries to punish Russia, and said: “This is important because we know that there are powerful actors in our region who are watching closely, looking for signs of weakness and division within the West.” He thanked allies Japan, South Korea and Singapore for their sanctions on Russia – calling it a “welcome testimony to international solidarity in our region”.