Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told a US congressional committee that China’s trade policies during his prime ministership were designed to “make an example of Australia as a key US ally in the region.”
Morrison, who testified before the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), emphasized that China’s actions were intended to punish Australia for its loyalty to the United States.
He urged the US to remain vigilant against similar tactics, advocating for tighter economic alliances with like-minded democracies to ward off coercion.
During his testimony, Morrison highlighted the need for the US to strengthen and deepen its networks of alliances and partners, stating that this was critical to resilience and deterrence in both the economic and security spheres.
He also argued that diplomacy with China would not lead to effective solutions, and that the public needed to understand the seriousness of the threat.
The committee’s leadership praised Australia’s refusal to acquiesce to China’s trade tactics, which included tariffs on Australian barley, bans on products from Australian meatworks, and halts on timber, coal, and lobster exports.
These actions were widely seen as politically motivated, including as retaliation for an Australian inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
Morrison’s testimony came as the US Congress continues to sound alarms on America’s economic dependence on China, particularly for mineral exports such as rare earths widely used in modern technology.
Former US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who also testified before the committee, argued for the formation of a new “anti-coercion coalition” with the economic equivalent of NATO’s Article 5 clause, which states that an “attack on one is an attack on all.”
The committee’s leaders have released a letter in support of the AUKUS pact with the US and the UK, which they believe is a key part of the response to China’s economic coercion.
They urged the US to “double down” on efforts that Beijing fears the most, including AUKUS.