EDITORIAL: Links with Japan welcome amid growing China threat

As China continues its military build-up and presents itself as the leader of a new world order that also includes a line-up of rogue states, the need for democracies to unite attains even greater significance.

And so the visit to Japan on Friday of Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles was a welcome sign.

Their so called 2+2 talks in Tokyo with Senator Wong’s Japanese counterpart Iwaya Takeshi and the country’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani mark the 12th engagement between Australia and Japan defence and foreign ministers and follows Canberra’s historic $10 billion frigate warship deal.

Senator Wong said pressures and uncertainties on both nations were greater than in recent years and while describing the partnership as already strong, declared there was room to strengthen it.

“We do meet at a time where the geo-strategic context is highly challenging. I think we all understand that, and we know our region is more contested,” Senator Wong said.

“We are both confronting circumstances which are much more difficult and challenging than we have experienced for many years.”

In response to Mr Takeshi’s remarks about regional stability depending on alliances in a “multi-layered network of like minded countries”, Senator Wong said Australia and Japan need to be at the forefront.

Mr Marles described it as a “special strategic partnership” and added global uncertainty was prompting the relationship to “blossom in a way that really we haven’t seen before”.

The diplomatically coded language was clearly a reference to China.

The talks came just two days after China held a massive parade and showed off its military capabilities, watched by various authoritarian leaders including Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong Un of North Korea.

Also of note was the presence in China in the days before the parade of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He took part in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation regional security bloc, and was photographed smiling and chatting amiably with Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Modi left China before the parade, but seems to be walking both sides of the street, given India is a member of the Quad — a partnership of Australia, India, Japan, and the US.

The future of that body now seems bleak.

However there was encouraging news today that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump had shared a “warm and constructive” call and discussed economic cooperation, trade, critical minerals, the strength of the relationship and security.

While there was no specific mention of whether they spoke about the AUKUS submarine pact, or about a meeting between the leaders, the call was a positive sign.

It also emerged on Friday that in an apparently defiant move Australia, Canada, the Philippines and US had held a freedom of navigation exercise near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

And that sent a message of its own.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore.