“We need a greater collective focus on easing the constraints on international shipping and on the recovery of passenger flights.
“The lesson of these times is that supply chain resilience requires a new partnership between countries, governments and businesses.”
While he did not name China, he warned against “coercive measures” that hurt international trade. The federal government has been concerned at Chinese demands for shifts in Australian foreign policy at the same time the country imposed trade measures that hurt Australian exporters of wine, meat, fish and other products.
“In recent times Australia has experienced the effects of economic protectionism and coercive measures,” Mr Morrison said.
“As a trading nation we have held firm to our values, but it has not been without cost.
“I believe it has also come at a significant cost to the countries which implement such measures. It’s hard to see how anyone wins.
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“The world cannot afford to march in this direction, and more than ever there is a need to support the multilateral system and promote trade liberalisation.”
Labor leader Anthony Albanese warned about China’s economic coercion in remarks this week that backed the government on issues including the South China Sea, Hong Kong, human rights and protecting Australia’s sovereignty.
“The posture of China has changed. And that’s just a fact. And we need to respond to that in a way that is strong, but also in a way that’s diplomatic,” Mr Albanese said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“It’s a difficult relationship, but it’s an important one. China deserves credit for lifting literally hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. But they also deserve to be called out for their failures on human rights. And for the way they’ve changed their posture in the region.”
Mr Morrison used his speech to the World Economic Forum, held in the Swiss town of Davos each year, to emphasise that his approach to the pandemic had been “pragmatic” and based on health and economic advice.
“As I’ve said many times, a pandemic is no place for ideology.
“I don’t pretend we haven’t made mistakes. What country or government could? But I am proud of what Australia has been able to achieve.”
He said Australia had the second-lowest death rate and the eight-highest vaccination rate among the advanced economies in the Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development.
“We knew we were dealing with a public health crisis, albeit one with profound economic and social consequences,” he said.
“We never saw it as cover for some sort of funky experiment to transform our economic system.”
