Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned that a war between US and China was no longer inconceivable. ‘We’ve acknowledged that what was previously inconceivable and not considered even possible or likely in terms of those types of outcomes is not considered in those contexts anymore,’ Morrison said as he hinted at a possible conflict in the Indo-Pacific. The Australian Prime Minister went on to state that the US-China relations had reached a boiling point. Amid high tensions, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has announced commencing sea trials of its amphibious assault ship.
In an article in the bi-monthly journal ‘Foreign Affairs’, Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has claimed that a war would soon flare-up between the US and China. The article is titled ‘Beware the Guns of August—in Asia’ in which Rudd says that a war between the two states was most likely over the next three months. Rudd warns that if a war were to spark off, even Australia would have to bear severe consequences of it. Also, in the article, Rudd went on to suggest that other countries needed to take the initiative to thaw the US-China tensions, which had sharply escalated, to keep them from sparking a war.
As he reacted to the writeup of the former Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said that his government was of another opinion. ‘Our defence update expresses it differently and certainly not as dramatically as Rudd. The Australian government fully acknowledges that a war between the US and China is no longer inconceivable as in the past. What was previously inconceivable and not considered even possible or likely in terms of those types of outcomes is not considered in those contexts anymore,’ said Morrison warning about a potential war between the US and China. Moreover, during his address at the Aspen Security Conference, the Australian Prime Minister also admitted that the Australia-China ties had also reached a new low.
Some military officials and experts are consistently issuing warnings for the last few days. They believe a war may flare-up between the US and China at any moment as both nations had intensified their military activities in the South China Sea. Lawmakers in the US and China have even indicated that both countries were engaged in a new Cold War. However, a warning from the Prime Minister of a powerful nation such as Australia assumes much significance. At the same time, Morrison also expressed his stance on the security of the Indo-Pacific region.
The Australian Prime Minister further said that ‘forming a front of like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific, is a critical priority for the Australian government. In the last few years, the pace of militarization in the region is unprecedented. Today, the Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of strategic competition. Tensions over territorial claims are growing’, as he underscored the threat the region faced. China’s rise as a major economic power has been beneficial for the global economy, but with rise comes responsibility, is something Beijing needs to understand,’ and reprimanded China.
As Australia warns of the risk of US-China confrontation, China has begun engaging in aggressive activities. Two days ago, China’s PLAN even began sea trials for its advanced amphibious assault ships. China claims that the amphibious assault ship called the ‘Type 075’, is the world’s largest ship of the kind. The country is reportedly building three more of such ships and plans to dominate the South China Sea with its help. Along with the sea trials for the amphibious assault ship, Chinese PLA was revealed to have held joint naval drills with attack helicopters and warships. The Chinese media has asserted that the objective behind the exercise was to simulate an attack on Taiwan.
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