Any breakdown between US, China to be devastating, warns Australian premier

ANKARA

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned on Friday that any breakdown between the US and China would have devastating consequences for the world.

Addressing a high-level security summit, the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2023, as a keynote speaker on Friday in Singapore, he urged Washington and Beijing to resolve issues through dialogue as big powers have more heavy responsibilities to maintain stable and workable relations with one another.

The three-day summit is being attended by top defense and security officials from different countries, including the US and China.

“The consequences of such a breakdown (between the US and China), whether in the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere, would not be confined to the big powers on the side of their conflict. It would be devastating for the world,” Albanese warned in the presence of China's Defense Minister Li Shangfu and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as the event was aired online.

The 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, which began on Friday, will continue till Sunday.

"Australia strongly supports the renewed efforts from President Biden's administration to establish reliable and open channels of communication between the governments of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China," the Australian prime minister said.

Defense ministers from several countries, including the US, China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Canada, the UK, Cambodia, and Germany, are attending the summit.

At the opening reception, Austin and his Chinese counterpart shook hands.

However, Beijing has already declined the Pentagon request for a meeting between the two ministers on the sideline of the summit.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid