Scott Morrison never mentioned China by name, but one word in his speech last night revealed what he really thinks about the superpower.
Scott Morrison never mentioned China by name, but his meaning was unmistakeable.
At a business dinner in Vietnam last night, the Prime Minister took a thinly veiled swipe at China’s actions in the South China Sea.
“We share a vision for an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific neighbourhood,” Mr Morrison told the audience of 100 business leaders and diplomats.
“An Indo-Pacific where we respect each other’s sovereignty and independence because if we allow the sovereignty or independence of any of our neighbours to suffer coercion, then we are all diminished.”
The key word there, coercion, had popped up earlier in the speech as well, as Mr Morrison described Australia and Vietnam as “partners for a stable, peaceful, prosperous and independent Indo-Pacific region”.
“A region of sovereign, independent states, resistant to coercion but open to engagement on the basis of shared interests,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s choice of words was a clear signal.
Other nations, most notably the United States, have accused China of engaging in “coercion” and “intimidation” in the South China Sea with its repeated intrusions into disputed waters.
Vietnam is at the epicentre of that argument.