Russia and China are buddies.Australia getting nuclear powered...

Russia and China are buddies.
Australia getting nuclear powered subs to keep China in check.

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australias-message-for-nato/

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese heads to Vilnius for this week’s NATO summit needing to deliver the clear messages that
Australia continues to be a serious supporter of Ukraine,
that it remains of free will when it comes to managing Beijing,
and that transatlantic and Indo-Pacific security are linked.

All three issues will be on the minds of his NATO counterparts.Australia prides itself in punching above its weight on the international stage.

It was Australia that first looked beyond the seemingly interminable threat of terrorism to focus the world on the modern-day challenges emanating from the Chinese Communist Party—strengthening foreign investment regimes, calling out cyber intrusions, protecting technology and infrastructure, supporting Southeast Asian neighbours against illegal unilateral activities in the South China Sea and taking action against what we now know as foreign interference.

In recent years Australia’s policies and actions helped wake up the rest of the world to authoritarian aggression and the importance of the Indo-Pacific.

The US and India, through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, are more invested in the region, and there are a series of Indo-Pacific strategies, including from the EU, France, the UK, South Korea and recently Lithuania, that highlight increased awareness of ASEAN centrality and the need for collective action against Beijing’s worst behaviour.

Yesterday, during a visit to Berlin ahead of NATO, Albanese and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reinforced the strengthening of military ties, including relating to defence in the Indo-Pacific.

Notwithstanding some unfortunate but unsurprising reluctance from French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO is seeking greater collaboration with this region by inviting the Indo-Pacific partner countries to Vilnius and considering Japan’s offer of a Tokyo liaison office.

Previously, it would have been a hard sell for our prime minister to convince NATO or the EU of the relevance of the Indo-Pacific and threats posed by Beijing.

Now it is NATO countries’ turn to wonder where Australia stands on the rapidly growing concerns about economic security, born of the shock of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, China’s aggressive economic coercion and the Moscow–Beijing ‘no limits’ partnership.
continues..........