Working with our Quad partners to stave off regional security threats

Australia's partnership with India, Japan, and the US under the Quad is a linchpin of our contribution to regional security.

Our partnership is founded on a shared vision for regional order. And it is animated by our commitment to act collaboratively and responsibly to uphold the rules and norms constitutive of that vision.

In essence, our vision for the Indo-Pacific is that it remains free, open, and inclusive.

Free in the sense that every state is able to choose its own path without coercion or interference.

Open in the sense that the exchange or transit of goods, information, and people goes uninterrupted.

And inclusive in the sense that there is room for all great powers to exercise responsible leadership.

These principles imply, by corollary, a code of conduct for legitimate state behaviour. At base, they demand self-restraint and a respect for sovereignty and international law.

The challenge for regional stability is that China's actions increasingly disturb these basic tenets.

Its coercive expansion in the South China Sea challenges the sovereignty of neighbouring states in Southeast Asia. It also threatens the free-flow of trade in this globally critical waterway.

China's actions in the East China Sea, over islands contested by Japan, display a similar willingness to strong-arm rather than settle disputes under international law.

Most significantly, however, is China's intimidation of Taiwan. Its violent threats of reunification, if realised, would shatter the promise of a free and open region.

This is not simply, then, a question of war and peace—as significant as preventing conflict is.

It is a question of whether the future of the Indo-Pacific should be shaped by the capricious doctrine of might is right, or by a rules-based order that puts checks on wanton power.

Australia and its Quad partners are firmly committed to the latter, and to all the self-constraints that entails.

To realise that vision, and act in responsible ways to preserve the stability enjoyed for decades, we will work with our Quad partners to:

Bolster deterrence across the Taiwan Strait. We will work with Quad partners to ensure that Taiwan is equipped with sufficient self-defence capability to dissuade an invasion. At the same time, we will deepen crisis response planning and more clearly signal, via diplomatic channels, the prohibitive consequences of military action against Taiwan.

Safeguard free transit in regional waterways. Australia and its Quad partners will continue to responsibly exercise our Freedom of Navigation rights in the South China Sea, preventing the normalisation of illegal maritime claims. We will also continue to support ASEAN-led efforts to develop a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.

Support ASEAN-led initiatives and mechanisms. Australia is committed unequivocally to the principle of ASEAN Centrality, as expressed in the organisation's Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. The Quad will continue to work in ways that supplement, not supplant, ASEAN mechanisms and leadership in regional security dialogue. And we commit to ensuring our security contributions accord with the principles enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, to which all Quad states have acceded, as well as those outlined in the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

Enhance interoperability between our respective defence forces. Australia, India, Japan, and the US must continue to hone our collective readiness and ability to meet and manage regional security threats, both through and beyond the Malabar exercises.

Deepen the integration of our defence industries and supply chains. The Quad's credibility in our commitment to defend the rules-based order depends on our ability to keep pace with emerging defence technologies, such as hypersonics. We will therefore work to enhance cooperation on technology-sharing, the security of relevant supply chains, and joint research and development initiatives.

Promote crisis communication mechanisms. Notwithstanding the need to act tangibly in defence of a free and open region, it is critical that we mitigate risks of escalation or miscalculation. Australia will therefore promote the development of political-level and military-to-military communication channels and deconfliction mechanisms between Quad partners, ASEAN members, and China.