The US Secretary of State says it will “disconnect” from Australia if China’s Belt and Road Initiative deal with Victoria affects telecommunications.

“Australia has only joined with others to express what we’ve already expressed directly to the Chinese Communist Party government in Beijing … and that’s consistent with the position Australia has always held when it comes to the Basic Law proposition of one country, two systems which we accept,” he said.
Victoria’s involvement with BRI has been controversial given the federal government has refused to sign onto the scheme, which critics level is a vehicle for China to build strategic influence and is saddling poorer countries with debt.
Accusations that the Victorian state government is too cozy with China have gained extra impetus last week after Treasurer Tim Pallas blamed the Morrison government’s conduct towards Beijing for the Communist regime’s decision to impose 80 per cent tariffs on barley exports.
Mr Pompeo told Sky News the infrastucture scheme which is President Xi Jinping’s flagship gave China the chance to do harm.
We will not take any risks to our telecommunications infrastructure, any risk to the national security elements of what we need to do with our Five Eyes partners, Mr Pompeo said.
I dont know the nature of those projects precisely. To the extent they have an adverse impact on our ability to protect telecommunications from our private citizens, or security networks for our defence and intelligence communities we simply disconnect, we will simply separate.
We are going to preserve trust in networks we hope our friends and allies, especially our Five Eyes partners like Australia, do the same.
Mr Andrews said he had not seen Mr Pompeo’s comments and would not respond directly but maintained the agreement with China was good for Victorian jobs.
It doesnt mean we agree on everything. There are many things we dont agree on,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the government did not support Victoria’s decision to join the BRI when it signed up in October 2018.
“I respect their jurisdiction when it comes to the issues their responsible for and it’s always been the usual practice for states to respect and recognise the role of the federal government in setting foreign policy and I think that’s always been a good practice,” he said.
Foreign policy experts believed Mr Pompeo’s threat was a hollow one.
“This is deeply unhelpful posturing by Mike Pompeo directed against an ally that has done more to defend against Chinese interference than most,” US Studies Centre director of foreign policy and defence Ashley Townshend said.
“Many of us have concerns about possible BRI projects in Aussie states, but this isnt the way to advance them.”