Australian PM Albanese stresses need for diplomacy, guardrails in dealing with China

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press

SINGAPORE (AP) — As tensions grow between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told a gathering of top defense officials that open channels of communication are critical to preserving peace. Albanese also said Friday as he opened the Shangri-La dialogue that there is a need for “guardrails” to ensure that no “one nation imagines itself too big for the rules,” which he said is part of the reason he has found it necessary to boost Australia’s defense capabilities. He says: “Australia’s goal is not to prepare for war, but to prevent it through deterrence and reassurance and building resilience in the region.”