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China smashes Defence Minister Peter Dutton for ‘amping up’ the nation’s threat

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Sarah IsonThe West Australian
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Defence Minister Peter Dutton.
Camera IconDefence Minister Peter Dutton. Credit: MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE

China has lashed out at Defence Minister Peter Dutton for calling out comments by its acting ambassador as “provocative” and “silly”.

Mr Dutton last week responded to remarks made by Wang Xining in calling Australia a “sabre wielder” in the region and warning it was damaging its international reputation.

He brushed off the “comical” statement as “just so silly, it’s funny”.

“I think the acting ambassador is probably reading off a script from the Communist Party but I think most Australians see through the non-productive nature of the comments,” he said on the Today Show.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian slammed Mr Dutton on Tuesday, accusing him of being “driven by selfish political gains”.

Zhao Lijian says China's bid to join CPTPP is "unrelated" to AUKUS.
Camera IconChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Credit: AP

“He has repeatedly made provocations, sensational and astonishing statements on China-related issues,” he said.

Mr Zhao said some Australian politicians were “hyping up” the China threat.

It comes as shadow foreign affairs minister Penny Wong accused Mr Dutton of “amping up” the possibility of war after he said it would be “inconceivable” for Australia not to stand against China’s move to reunify Taiwan.

“When Peter Dutton talks about it being inconceivable Australia would not join a war over Taiwan, he is wildly out of step with the strategy long adopted by Australia and our principal ally (the US),” she said in her speech at the Australian National University.

“Republican and Democratic administrations have also taken a deliberate position of strategic ambiguity in relation to Taiwan.

“In maintaining this position of strategic ambiguity, the US declines to declare a definitive position on military conflict, including whether to join a war if one were started by others.

“Mr Dutton knows exactly what he is doing by using words like ‘inconceivable’ in the same context as the ‘threat of conflict’ – and after his former secretary declared the drums of war were beating.”

While former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott has called for the Western world to stand up against China’s effort to reunify Taiwan, former Labor prime minister Paul Keating has said “Taiwan is not a vital Australian interest”.

Mr Zhao accused Australia of interfering in China’s domestic affairs.

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