Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Geoffrey Miller: Foreign Policy Analyst on heightened tensions in the Pacific as China deploys warships off the coast of Australia

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Geoffrey Miller: Foreign Policy Analyst on heightened tensions in the Pacific as China deploys warships off the coast of Australia · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So the New Zealand Defense Force is monitoring activity by
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: a Chinese naval task force. They are about one hundred
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: and fifty no toical miles from the coast of Sydney.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: We're watching them. Should we be worried? So, Foreign policy
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: analyst Jeffrey Miller joins me now and goodboding to you.
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  Speaker 2: Jeffrey, Good morning Andrew.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: What are they up to?
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  Speaker 2: Well, they're conducting a routine patrol, you might say, which
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: is what New Zealand also did in the Taiwan Straight
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: last September when the hmnzs out or sales through there.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: So I think it is a sign of heightened tensions.
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  Speaker 2: It is something that hasn't happened before. It is significant.
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  Speaker 2: Two hundred and seventy eight kilometers off the coast of
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  Speaker 2: Sydney there is where those ships were reportedly where they
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: reportedly were around twenty four hours ago. So it is significant.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: But I think we need to be careful of not
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: We need to be careful not to overreact to all
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  Speaker 2: of this as well as the Australian Defense Minister, yes,
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: say Richard Miles said, you know, they're fully entitled to
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: be there directing in imcordance with international law. They're not
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: in Australian territorial waters, and I think we just need
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  Speaker 2: to calm down a little bit.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Yes, will the Chinese know the rules? And of course
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  Speaker 1: you've got to remember that the commander of the US
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  Speaker 1: Indo Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, happens to be in
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  Speaker 1: Australia right now and he's meeting the Australia Chief of
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Joint Operations in Canberra, so you know that's happening there.
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  Speaker 1: So there's a bit of saber rattling happening out in
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  Speaker 1: the sea.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, there's a lot going on. I mean, I don't
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: think it's probably a direct response to that you don't
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: sail down a frigate at a moment's notice. That takes
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: time to plan. These things does coincide though, with the
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: beginning of the new Trump administration, But I think there
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: are some really concerning developments. While we've all been fixated
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: on what's happening in Washington with Trump's statements, we've had
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: several close calls in the South China Sea, including involving
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  Speaker 2: an Australian aircraft just quite recently around ten days ago,
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: and there was another one with the Philippines aircraft and
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: a Chinese helicopter just a couple of days ago. The
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  Speaker 2: US tested an intercontinental list missile into the Pacific this week,
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: reciprocating a Chinese test last year. You know, things are
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  Speaker 2: not getting any better than the Indo Pacific in terms
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  Speaker 2: of the tensions. I think it's imperatives that New Zealand
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  Speaker 2: continue to uphold dialogue. Winston Peters is on his way
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  Speaker 2: to China in the next ten days or so and
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  Speaker 2: where we will meet with his counterpart one year. I
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  Speaker 2: think it's really really important that he sits down in
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  Speaker 2: that they have a fallen, frank and productive discussion on
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: all of all these matters. Because when you add and
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  Speaker 2: also what's been happening with New Zealand's position on the
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  Speaker 2: Clock Islands, I think this will be being watched in Beijing,
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  Speaker 2: and perhaps New Zealands decided to come out with a
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: more aggressive posturing towards China this year. Perhaps it's to
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: make the case more for greater defense spending. Remember we're
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: still waiting on the Defense Capability Plan that's coming out
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: in the coming months, and defense spending is going to
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: go up to probably close to two percent of GDP.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: What an excellent answer to jeff I have to say,
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  Speaker 1: you just answered three questions that I was going to
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  Speaker 1: answer I ask you in one answer. So I thank
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  Speaker 1: you so much for your time. That is Jeffrey Miller,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: foreign Policy Expert.
• 3:03
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• 3:06
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• 3:09
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