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The United States' major interests are in the western hemisphere.Our major interests are in east and south-east Asia. We live in thewestern Pacific; our secure and peaceful future depends on ourrelationships with countries of the region. We do not have theluxury, as the US does, of being able to withdraw across thePacific to the western hemisphere. We must rely more on ourselves. There have been a number of occasions when the US has not supportedan Australia view when we felt our particular interests wereaffected. During the period of the [Indonesian] confrontation, The Economist had this to say: "No Indonesian regime short of a blatantlycommunist one would earn active American hostility, no matter whatharm it did to the national Australian interests." To point this out is not an anti-American statement. It is astatement of fact. If we blind ourselves to these realities, weblind ourselves to the necessities for our own survival. The USremains enormously important. On some counts it remains the world'sbest hope for a peaceful and secure world. This does not mean that Australia can buy security by supportingAmerica unconditionally. Unconditional support diminishes ourinfluence throughout east and south-east Asia. It limits ourcapacity to act as an independent and confident nation. It limitsour influence on the US itself. The US would expect an ally to haveviews and to put those views and help form policy. I believe that in dealing with countries in our own region, we needto show a greater element of independence and a greater strength ofmind. We need to increase our sophistication in our approach torelationships throughout east and south-east Asia. For example, ourgovernment still tends to say that strategic considerations have noimpact on our good economic and trade relations with China. That isplainly not true. We cannot expect our trade relationship to be unaffected if onevery occasion we follow America in strategic matters. Independence of mind and recognition of Australia's nationalinterests will become more important in the light of developmentsin the relationship between China and the US. The only solutionthat I can see of minimising the potential friction between thesetwo major powers is by co-operation. It is, if you like, by aconcert of nations. This should contribute greatly to peace,security and progress throughout our entire region. A major part ofAustralian policy should be to work for such a result. If we continue on a path of unthinking compliance with Americanpolicy, we will very soon find that we have made ourselvesirrelevant to east and south-east Asia, politically andstrategically. Irrelevant, because Australia will have nothing tocontribute. The choice for Australia to make is not for China or for the US,but independence of mind to break with subservience to America.Subservience has not and will not serve Australia's interests. Itis dangerous to our future. Australia should not do anything, forexample, that suggests that we could be part of a policy ofmilitary containment of China, but marines in Darwin and spy planesin the Cocos Islands make us part of that policy. We should betrying to lead the US away from containment. It is not always understood, as China understands very clearly,that the US is running a two-track policy, where there is mutualunderstanding and a desire to resolve difficulties throughdiplomacy and dialogue. We want to understand each other better.That seems to be the message coming both from China and the US. If that is the true American attitude, why does the US talk ofrebalancing military power to the Pacific? What is the need toenhance naval co-operation with the Philippines and Singapore? Whatuseful purpose do marines based in Darwin fulfil? The US can saythis is not containment, as does the Australian government, butnobody believes them. To continue to say that something that isobvious is not so, is to damage your own credibility. If the US isgenuine in wanting dialogue and discussion with China, what is theneed for this military rebalancing? If the US believes the way to establish good relations with Chinais to have a military alliance of nations whose purpose is to limitChina's influence, or to contain China, the US is mistaken. This isthe wrong way to preserve peace and security. We should not be partof it. Such views demonstrate a significant failure to learn fromthe military mistakes of the past. The great task for the US is to recognise that many of the thingsit wants for itself and for others cannot be achieved by militarymeans. It needs to place much more emphasis on "soft power", ondiplomacy. Australia should use every effort to persuade the USthat its two-track approach to relationships with China is wrong.We should tell the US that we will not be part of it and not allowjoint facilities on Australian soil to be used to support policiesof containment. If the consensus for military containment of some kind prevails,then there will be prospects of military conflict - and militaryconflict between China and the US is the one thing that would bemost dangerous to Australia. In 1956, when many feared that China might invade Taiwan,Eisenhower moved the 7th Fleet in or close to the Taiwan Straits.Many feared war between the US and China over Taiwan. Primeminister Menzies then advised Eisenhower that if there were such aconflict, Australia would not be part of it. Menzies had a keenunderstanding of Australia's own interests. We need to articulate Australia's national interests as a countryallied to but separate from the US. We need leadership that willtell Australians in plain terms that our security ultimatelydepends on ourselves and the relationships we build with thecountries of the western Pacific and of east Asia. It is ourrelationship with these countries that will determine our security. Malcolm Fraser was prime minister from 1975 to 1983. This is anedited version of The Whitlam Oration delivered in Sydney lastnight. Click here to read the full speech. Follow the National Times on Twitter: @NationalTimesAU. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as High Bay Light Fittings Manufacturer , Led Spotlights Bulbs Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Led Outside Flood Lights.
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