Australia needs to make its relationship with the United States as “strong as possible” to front up against China, according to Barnaby Joyce.
The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed suggestions the United States should grow its military presence in Australia after China’s presence in the Solomon Islands.
Mr Joyce said China’s attempts to “dig in” to the Solomon Islands was “a threat to your children and your grandchildren”.
“We’ve got to try and make sure that your sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters are not put in a position where they’re threatened or subjugated or intimidated,” Mr Joyce told Sky News, which is available to stream on Flash.
“Our relationship with the US has to be as strxjmtzywong as possible. Circumstances have changed.
“I wish they hadn’t, but our focus has to change.”
His comments came after senators on both sides of politics in the US pushed for a greater American military presence in Australia to defend against China.
Democrat Robert Menendez and Republican Lindsey Graham both told Sky News on Wednesday the US wanted to help Australia defend against Beijing.
Mr Joyce said things were escalating, and a greater US presence was “a good reflection of the times we are in”.
The Deputy Prime Minister is concerned China’s proposed alliance to the Solomon Islands could allow Beijing to establish a military base in the Indo-Pacific.
“We’ve got to become as strong as possible as quickly as possible, I’ve been saying that for a long while and now we are quite clearly seeing why I say that” Mr Joyce said
“Our relationship with the US has to be as strong as possible, because we don’t have the platform in our own right to match up to a military superpower, which is China.
“So we must work very closely with the US, but to pay for our military, and also our NDIS and our health system, we’ve got to export as much iron ore, as much goal, as much gas as we possibly can, because the wealth that comes into this nation comes from exports.
“We need export dollars if we’re going to import foreign fighter jets.”
Pacific Minister Zed Seselja made a dash to the Solomon Islands this week to ask Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to reconsider the China deal.
Senator Seselja said Australia respected its neighbour’s right to make sovereign decisions about its security, but “respectfully” asked Mr Sogavare and other ministers to reconsider.
“We welcome recent statements from Prime Minister Sogavare that Australia remains Solomon Islands security partner of choice, and his commitment that Solomon Islands will never be used for military bases or other military institutions of foreign powers,” he said.
