The remarks that a senior Australian official 'war drums' are beating triggered speculation and controversy in the country's public opinion field on the 27th, and the two core questions are: Who is this kind of remarks directed to? Does it represent the views of the Australian Government?
The remarks came from Michael Pezzullo, secretary general of the Australian Home Office, and was originally published on the official website of the Australian Home Office on the 25th. The Australian Chinese said it was an ANZAC day message sent by Pezzullo to Home Office staff. Pezoullo is Australia's "most authoritative national security leader" and "is expected to hold the highest position in the Ministry of Defence".
(Pezzullo Infographic)
"Longing for peace, cursing war," Pezulo's 1,000-word message has such a title, but the content is far from so peaceful, he said, "In a world that is always full of tension and fear, the drums of war are beating, sometimes weak and distant, sometimes louder and closer." Australia must be prepared to "send our fighters into battle again".
Pezzullo's long message was devoted to the admiration of U.S. General MacArthur and former U.S. President Eisenhower, repeatedly emphasizing that Australia belonged to the "free world," though he did not specify where the challenges facing the "free world" came from.
(Screenshot of the official website of the Australian Ministry of Home Affairs)
On the 27th, australian media outlet 9news reported that Pezoulo's remarks were pulled toward China, and its website published an article titled "While tensions with China are rising, senior security officials warn that 'war drums are beating'". Another related report in the media also pointed to China, declaring that "Australia cannot rely on the United States to face the Chinese threat: the war drum rhetoric is in line with the thinking of this country".
(Screenshot of 9news report)
Sam Logwen, director of international security at the Lowy Institute in Australia, was quoted as saying Australia must be prepared to confront China's growing military power without relying on its ally, the United States. Mr Loguewen said some commentators dismissed Pezoullo's rhetoric as cold and pessimistic, but consistent with the Australian government's thinking.
The report also mentioned that in 2020, the Australian federal government said Australia was facing the biggest threat since the end of World War II, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed in July that "across the Indo-Pacific region, tensions around territorial sovereignty are rising." Mr. Loguewen also said Australia's New 2020 National Defense Strategy confirmed that the United States could not respond to China's growing economic and military power alone.
The British "Guardian" reported on the 27th that Australian Interior Minister Karen Andrews supported Pezoullo, but Pezzullo's remarks triggered strong opposition from Labour MP Bill Shawten and Western Australian Governor Mark McGowan, who both warned that Pezzullo's tone was inflammatory.
Schoten argues that senior government officials like Pezzullo should avoid using "inflammatory" language. Schoten also mentioned, "I'm not sure if our senior public officials should use this language because I'm not sure how that actually helps, other than causing more anxiety."
Pezzullo's remarks also sparked discussion on social media.
Some netizens shouted, "This is crazy." ”
Another netizen also said, "This is crazy. Going to war with China? Are you sure? Why are these people talking about this so passionately? It's just puzzling, how could they think it would work? ”
Some netizens pointed out pointedly, "They ruthlessly led us to war." For their own benefit. ”
There is no shortage of netizens who angrily said: Appalling! We have climate change, COVID-19 and fiscal issues to deal with, and now (again) there is a prospect of war! This government must step down. ”
Pezzullo may have had another small calculation of his own. The Australian newspaper Chinese network quoted a senior national defense strategist who did not want to be named on the 27th as saying that his remarks looked like he wanted to become a "job application" for deputy defense minister.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (abc) Chinese Network also reported on the same day that over the weekend, The Australian Defense Ministry Darden had declared that it would not rule out the possibility of a war with the Chinese mainland on the Taiwan issue. The report revealed that within the Australian military and political circles, there is growing speculation that Pezzullo will soon take over as deputy secretary of defence and serve again under Dutton.
Recently, some politicians and media in Australia have often used China topics to attract attention. At a regular press conference held by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on April 27, a reporter asked a question: Sun Fang'an, secretary general of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in a speech at the graduation ceremony of the University of Adelaide today that Australia-China relations are experiencing a series of difficulties, and Australia hopes to establish constructive relations with China, but China hopes that Australia will make compromises on important national interests. She stressed "the importance of upholding the agreed rules for global security and prosperity", saying it was in the interests of Australia, China and all countries. What is China's comment on this?
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China always believes that a healthy and stable China-Australia relationship conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples. The root cause of the serious difficulties facing China-Australia relations at present lies in the fact that the Responsibility of the Australian side for grossly interfering in China's internal affairs, harming China's interests, and adopting discriminatory trade practices against China lies with china at all. "The Australian side itself got sick, but it wants to let others take medicine, which will not solve the problem at all." Wang Wenbin said that we hope that the Australian side will view China and China's development objectively and rationally, do more things conducive to enhancing mutual trust between the two countries and promoting pragmatic cooperation, and not go further and further down the wrong road.
Source: World Wide Web