‘Sabotage’: Grim warning on quartet of chaos

China, Russia, Iran and North Korea – the so-called ‘quartet of chaos’ – have in recent years sharpened and unified their efforts to usher in a multipolar world where global decisions are made not only by the likes of Washington and London but by Beijing and Moscow. Australia’s location and political system have made it a soldier in the battle for global influence, as well as a prime target. Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Monday touted Australia’s standing in the Indo-Pacific, pointing to the suite of treaties and security pacts inked across the region since Labor’s election in 2022. “Every relationship Australia has in this region has been strengthened under our government,” she told the Australian Institute of International Affairs on Monday. “And it pays to look at a map to picture the architecture I am about to describe, because we have agreed groundbreaking treaties with four countries, upgraded or enhanced partnerships with six and made progress on agreements with another four.” Among them is the Pukpuk Treaty with Papua New Guinea – a mutual defence deal that commits both countries to each other’s defence if they are attacked. Defence-related agreements are in the works with Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. Meanwhile, both Beijing and Canberra have declared relations “stabilised” after a years-long trade war. This stabilisation had been with “without compromising on our interests”, Senator Wong said. “None of this was thinkable in 2021,” she said. “Yet the Albanese government has actively pursued landmark agreements that come together to safeguard the region that we want.” But she warned that “doesn’t mean that our strategic environment is getting any easier”. “The change in the regional landscape is permanent,” Senator Wong said. “The disruption, the contest, is permanent. “China will continue trying to reshape the region according to its own interests. “Russia, Iran and North Korea will continue to sabotage and destabilise. “With so much activity and contest, things may not go Australia’s way every time. “But we will keep pressing our national interest in the contest every day.”