Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Thursday said that in recent times China has presented challenges in the relationship and some of its actions have threatened the country's national interests.
Payne spoke at Third Indo-Pacific Oration organised by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) here on Thursday.
When asked about Australia's China policy, she said: "What we have seen, in recent times, has certainly presented challenges in the relationship. Because we have considered some of those actions have threatened Australia's national interests. And there are a number of actions that were enumerated publically by diplomats in Canberra. That were provided to media by Chinese embassy in Canberra."
"Countries which respect open media would not agree to restrict that. Countries which respect the independence of institutions like think tanks and universities would not agree to restrict those. Countries which protect their own security in cyberspace and other areas would not agree to do that," she added.
"And when we say our national interests were not advanced by those actions we will always say so."
When asked about the Quad partnership, she said: "Quad presents four great democracies that have shared interests in the region, in fact, in a globe but particularly in the region that is particularly open, independent, secure, stable that come together with shared support for those global rules and norms that have given us the exact prosperity and the capacity to be the nation we are today."
Marise Payne and Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton will hold the 2+2 ministerial dialogue on Saturday with their Indian counterparts S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh.
( With inputs from ANI )
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