By Fergus Hunter
Admiral Harry Harris in Canberra earlier this month.
The incoming United States ambassador to Australia, Admiral Harry Harris, has issued a stark warning about China's intentions in the Asia-Pacific, accusing the resurgent power of bullying regional neighbours by economic, political and military means.
Admiral Harris, a well-known defence hawk who President Donald Trump picked last month to be the next US envoy in Canberra, also said there were lessons to be learnt from Chinese Communist Party-linked influence in Australia.
"China is leveraging military modernisation, influence operations and predatory economics to coerce neighbouring countries to reorder the Indo-Pacific to their advantage," Admiral Harris, the commander of US forces in the Pacific, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC.
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"While some view China's actions in the East and South China Seas as opportunistic, I do not. I view them as co-ordinated, methodical and strategic, using their military and economic power to erode the free and open international order."
In recent years, China has made ambitious claims over disputed waters in Asia, building and militarising artificial islands in the South China Sea and antagonising neighbouring countries that also claim sovereignty over the territory.
Asked about Chinese influence in other countries, Admiral Harris said "it is real in Australia".
"I believe there are lessons to be learnt in the Australian case that are applicable to our situation," he said.
The Australian debate about China-linked influence in politics, academia and media has been closely watched in the US and other Western countries, in particular the fate of former Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who resigned following revelations concerning his links to a CCP-linked political donor.
Admiral Harris labelled Australia "one of the keys to a rules-based international order" and also warned that the US would have to keep pace with China's rapid military build-up or it would "struggle to compete with the People's Liberation Army on future battlefields"
He is well-respected in Australia's political, defence and foreign policy communities but his years of criticism of China have irritated Xi Jinping's authoritarian government.
Chinese state-owned media have accused the commander of being the "most prejudiced" figure in the US military since World War II, "sowing discord", and being a publicity seeker.
Admiral Harris, a well-known defence hawk who President Donald Trump picked last month to be the next US envoy in Canberra, also said there were lessons to be learnt from Chinese Communist Party-linked influence in Australia.
"China is leveraging military modernisation, influence operations and predatory economics to coerce neighbouring countries to reorder the Indo-Pacific to their advantage," Admiral Harris, the commander of US forces in the Pacific, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC.
"While some view China's actions in the East and South China Seas as opportunistic, I do not. I view them as co-ordinated, methodical and strategic, using their military and economic power to erode the free and open international order."
In recent years, China has made ambitious claims over disputed waters in Asia, building and militarising artificial islands in the South China Sea and antagonising neighbouring countries that also claim sovereignty over the territory.
Asked about Chinese influence in other countries, Admiral Harris said "it is real in Australia".
"I believe there are lessons to be learnt in the Australian case that are applicable to our situation," he said.
The Australian debate about China-linked influence in politics, academia and media has been closely watched in the US and other Western countries, in particular the fate of former Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who resigned following revelations concerning his links to a CCP-linked political donor.
Admiral Harris labelled Australia "one of the keys to a rules-based international order" and also warned that the US would have to keep pace with China's rapid military build-up or it would "struggle to compete with the People's Liberation Army on future battlefields"
He is well-respected in Australia's political, defence and foreign policy communities but his years of criticism of China have irritated Xi Jinping's authoritarian government.
Chinese state-owned media have accused the commander of being the "most prejudiced" figure in the US military since World War II, "sowing discord", and being a publicity seeker.
They have also noted his mother is Japanese and suggested this fuels his hostility towards China.
Admiral Harris' imminent arrival in Canberra will see the post filled for the first time since September 2016, when the Obama-appointed John Berry stepped down.
The Harris appointment is a strong signal of the Trump administration's intentions in the region.
Admiral Harris' imminent arrival in Canberra will see the post filled for the first time since September 2016, when the Obama-appointed John Berry stepped down.
The Harris appointment is a strong signal of the Trump administration's intentions in the region.
Over recent months, the US has made clear that confronting China's growing economic and military power is a top priority in its defence and national security strategies.
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