The helicopters were grounded after a crash took place during a multinational military exercise in the Whitsundays in July,killing four military officers:Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent,Captain Danniel Lyon,Corporal Alexander Naggs and Warrant Officer Joseph Phillip Laycock.
As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to visit Beijing this weekend,Austin warned that Australia and the US faced “major shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region,including China’s bullying and destabilising actions”.
“We share a vision with our friends across the Indo-Pacific of a region that is free,open and secure,and we’re committed to making that vision a reality,” he added.
Marles,who is in Washington for a two-day visit to lobby Congress members over the AUKUS military pact,welcomed the announcement,which comes as the US becomes increasingly alarmed by a series of collisions and near-misses involving Chinese vessels in contested waters across the Indo-Pacific.
Last week,after two collisions between China and Philippines,Biden warned that the US would be prepared to use force to defend the Philippines in case of an attack in the disputed South China Sea.
Asked what Australia would do if this happened,Marles,who is also defence minister,said:“Australia will continue to work closely with our friends in the region to assert freedom of navigation and the global rules-based order within our region because that is very deeply in Australia’s national interest.”