onsdag 1. juli 2020

Australia boosts defence spending by 40 per cent as China tensions rise

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday announced a significant increase in defence spending to boost the country’s military prowess in the Indo-Pacific, amid jitters about  China’s growing power in the region. In a major speech in Canberra, Morrison said the government would spend A$270 billion (US$186 billion) on defence over the next decade, up nearly 40 per cent from the A$195 billion pledged under its previous strategic review in 2016.

Warning that Australia must prepare for a post-pandemic world that would be “poorer, more dangerous and more disorderly”, Morrison said the country faced a “conflation of global economic and strategic uncertainty” not seen since World War II.

“The challenges and changing nature in the Indo-Pacific have meant we need a new approach and one that actively seeks to deter actions that are against our interests,” Morrison said. “These new capabilities will provide a strong credible deterrent in our region that will help provide the stability and security we need.”