23 May 2024
The British Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Western Balkans and former head of the British Armed Forces has said that Australia’s partnership with NATO very much matters, and is highly valued, in the current global environment.
Speaking on the first day of the Air and Space Power Conference, Lord Stuart Peach praised the leadership and ever-growing capability of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Lord Peach said that while the war in Ukraine may seem a long way from Australia, it has consequences worldwide – including in the Indo-Pacific.
“It’s very clear that there are lessons from Ukraine for us all,” Lord Peach said.
“What’s also clear here in Australia is that the rules-based international order system is under attack. Freedom of navigation remains one of the most critical aspects of the Ukraine war that is under threat. This has worldwide consequences, including in Australia.”
Lord Peach said working together as partners was vitally important in confronting and dealing with this reality.
“We must all work together to defend the norms of trade and navigation in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine, and Australia’s newly minted National Defence Strategy makes it very clear that we don’t do this alone,” he said.
“The point about Australia’s new defence strategy and others of NATO is that they are essentially a handrail for a future we can’t predict.
“Australia should be proud to be a partner of NATO as it’s an important reflection of the value which NATO holds Australia and our other Asia-Pacific partners.”
Lord Peach said the potential for instability in the Indo-Pacific arising from actions by China was difficult to put on the agenda at NATO because not all its allies “agree to have that conversation”.
“But I think it’s getting easier and that conversation needs to happen now,” he said.
Expanding on the issue of China and its impact on the Indo-Pacific, former Permanent Secretary of Singapore’s Foreign Ministry and former Ambassador to the United Nations and Russia, Bilahari Kausikan, reinforced Australia’s key role in deterrence of any future conflict in the region.
“Never has the Indo-Pacific been more important to China’s growth and position in the world and Australia is critical in that,” Mr Kausikan said.
“China will always be a substantial power that cannot be ignored and no country will ever refuse to deal with China. However, China’s relationships with its south-east Asian neighbours are also plagued with difficulty – even the relationship with its only real ally, North Korea, is fraught with distrust.
“While tensions between China and the US remain high, I believe nuclear deterrence – from the perspective of mutually assured destruction, as was the situation during the Cold War – will prevent direct conflict between China and the US, as well as China and India.
“Key to calming any tension with China lies ultimately in its relationship with the US. We in the Indo-Pacific are nothing if not pragmatists and our voice here greatly matters.”
