The defence ministers of Canada and Australia said their countries face similar challenges at a time of global instability not seen since World War II and that strengthening cooperation is vital to avoid conflict.
Defence Minister Bill Blair and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles announced on Thursday they had agreed to strengthen ties and boost joint capabilities to respond to everything from global challenges to malicious cyber threats.
“Canada and Australia are both Pacific nations and the security of the Indo-Pacific is crucial to our security. And today that security is threatened in a variety of serious and challenging ways,” Blair said at a news conference on Thursday. “China is pursuing the most ambitious military buildup of any nation since World War Two and is seeking to reshape the international system to advance its own interests.”
Marles, who also serves as Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, was in Vancouver for bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Blair.
In a joint statement following the meeting, the countries condemned Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, China’s actions in the South China Sea and North Korea’s ballistic missile tests, and reaffirmed their call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
As hostile actions from China and Russia continue to test the global order, the ministers pledged their countries’ militaries to work together.
“Our sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic is under threat from a number of potential adversaries, particularly but not limited to Russia and China,” Blair said. “It’s a situation very similar to what we’re seeing in the Indo-Pacific.”
Blair said close allies “stand ready to avert war” and stand united against adversaries who act against “our global interest in maintaining a peaceful environment”.
Marless said Canada-Australia cooperation aims to deter adversarial powers, and avoiding conflict is a “top priority” as the two countries seek to understand and respond to threats in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
“The rules-based world order has never been under more pressure since the end of World War II,” he said.
Asked whether the military has the capacity to evacuate Canadians from Lebanon, Defence Minister Bill Blair said the Canadian military is prepared for such an eventuality.
Marles said Russia’s alliance with China on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call about the interconnectedness of the world’s conflict zones.
“Suddenly, the conflict in Eastern Europe has become deeply relevant for the Indo-Pacific region,” he said. “We live in a fragile world and the Indo-Pacific region is incredibly important.”
Marless said both Canada and Australia had worked to “understand the strategic challenges we face and what kind of defence capabilities we need to build to meet those challenges”.
“We both came to the conclusion that the Indo-Pacific is important.”
