Richard Marles backs US position that power underpins order, says world ‘safer’ following Trump-Xi meeting
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The news: Defence Minister Richard Marles has backed US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth’s claim that power underpins the world order and global stability.
Speaking in Singapore, Marles also said the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was a “positive step” that makes the world “feel safer”.
The context: Marles is in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Over the weekend, he revealed Australia will no longer be acquiring a new Virginia-class submarine from the US. Instead all three vessels will be secondhand, which Marles said would result in significant savings.
Australia, the US and UK have agreed to use new tech to help defend undersea cables, which have been damaged at an unprecedented rate. A broader collective, spanning 17 countries including Australia, have agreed to coordinate their defence of underwater infrastructure.
What they said: “The world feels safer when you see China and America meeting with each other and meeting in a productive way, and that was very much the readout from the meeting between President Xi and President Trump,” Marles said.
“We are all committed to a rules-based system because that is actually what gives middle powers like Australia, or smaller countries, agency,” he said.
“The rules-based order needs to be underpinned by power, a point that secretary Hegseth made yesterday. We completely understand that, and completely agree with that.”
