The United States has demanded Australia that Australia will increase its defense spending to almost $ 100 billion a year “as quickly as possible”, saying that Australia has to do more to support the US in the Indo-Pacific.
The US Defense Minister Peter Hegseeth transferred this to the Minister of Defense Richard Marles on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, where the couple gathered in the middle of increasing American tension with China.
In the weekend, China accused the American government of making “unfounded accusations” that the Chinese army rehearsed an invasion of Taiwan.
The American question comes as President Donald Trump says that he will increase the economic punishments on Australia by doubling rates on steel and aluminum, which the prime minister described as “inappropriate” and “economic self -harm”.
Richard Marles and Pete Hegseeth met on the sidelines of the Shangri-la dialog in Singapore. ((Reuters: Edgar Your))
Defense expenditure is currently around 2 percent of GDP, and an immediate lift in ambition up to 3.5 percent would be around $ 40 billion extra per year – about the same as the annual spending of the Commonwealth.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the country would not be dictated on the expenditure for defense, and noted that it was all too due to an increase from 2 to 2.33 percent of GDP of Australia compared to the next eight years.
“What we will do is that we determine our defense policy, and we have just invested over the attackers, an extra $ 10 billion in defense,” said Mr Albanese on Sunday.
But Mr. Hegseeth warned that Australia should lift the expenses faster with a “real and potentially threatening” threat from China.
The United States spends almost $ 1 trillion ($ 1.5 trillion) in defense per year, 3.4 percent of GDP and more than the next nine spending countries together.
The coalition promised an extra $ 21 billion in five years on defense above the current level on the federal elections, with an “aspiration” to achieve 3.5 percent of GDP that was spent on defense over time.
Minister of Shadow Financing James Paterson said that nine expenditures should be further lifted.
“We live in the most dangerous and precarious times since the end of the Second World War. And at the moment we don’t spend enough of defending ourselves,” said Senator Paterson.
On Friday, Minister of Defense Richard Marles indicated that he was open to an increase in defense expenditure, which recognized Mr. Hegseeth’s claim.
“I would not put a number on it, the need to increase the expenditure of the defense is something that he has certainly collected,” said Mr. Marles on Friday.
“You have seen the Americans in the way they deal with all their friends and allies who have asked them to do more and we can fully understand why America would do that.
“What I made clear is that this is a conversation that we are very willing to have, and it is one that we have.”
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute warned Australia last week had invested in Defense at the bottom and risked a “brittle and hollowed -out defense”, who criticized Mr. Albanian as a “predictable” report from the think tank.
Mr. Albanese is expected to meet Mr Trump during his visit to Canada this month for the G7 Leaders Summit.
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