Australia PM says breakdown in U.S.-China relations would be devastating

SINGAPORE — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday called for greater engagement between the United States and China, saying a breakdown in dialogue between the superpowers could have devastating consequences for the world.

The relationship between the United States and China is at its lowest point in decades, as they remain deeply divided over everything from the sovereignty of Taiwan to cyber espionage and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Speaking at the opening of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, Albanese said he supported U.S. President Joe Biden’s efforts to open channels of communication with China.

“If you don’t have the pressure valve of dialogue ... then there is always a much greater risk of assumptions spilling over into irretrievable action and reaction,” Albanese told a ballroom packed with defence officials and diplomats from around the world.

“The consequences of such a breakdown — whether in the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere — would not be confined to the big powers or the site of their conflict, they would be devastating for the world,” he added.

Intensifying competition between the U.S. and China is expected to dominate proceedings at the summit. China’s Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu had this week declined an invitation to meet there with U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.