by JAMES COGAN
The underlying theme of the 25th annual AUSMIN talks between the American and Australian governments yesterday in Melbourne was Washington’s alarm over China’s growing economic strength, military reach and political assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific. The Obama administration is attempting to forge a network of strategic and military alliances to contain Beijing and challenge its efforts to assert greater regional influence.
The AUSMIN (Australia-US Ministerial) meeting involved Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the US side, and Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Defence Minister Stephen Smith. The talks formed part of a diplomatic offensive being conducted by the Obama administration in the Asia-Pacific. Clinton also visited Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand over the past 10 days, and Barack Obama moved on from India today for talks over the next week with the governments of Indonesia, Japan and South Korea.
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