Australia has warned of the heightened risks of Chinese military drills near Taiwan and the potential for miscalculation.
Acting Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has again called for a de-escalation in the Taiwan Strait after Beijing fired 11 ballistic missiles towards Taiwan and carried out simulated attacks following US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island last week.
“The more we are seeing drills of this kind, the greater the risk of miscalculation. So it definitely is a concern and a product of intentions that have escalated,” Mr Marles told the ABC on Wednesday.
“That’s why we have been saying for some time now that we really want to see a de-escalation of tensions across the Taiwan Strait.”
Mr Marles would not be drawn on claims by Taiwan’s government that the Chinese drills are simulated attacks on its territory.
“People can observe what the drills are, we just call for a de-escalation … that’s what the world needs to see at this moment,” he said.
He wouldn’t speculate on the connection between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s increased aggression, saying the rules-based order was under pressure.
“Our position is underpinned by not wanting to see any change to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
“That means as a country we have adopted a one-China policy that we had in the place since the 1970s.”
It comes a day after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton branded Taiwan an “independent country” when speaking of Ms Pelosi’s visit, which he publicly supported.
“I’m pleased she did because the reaction from China is completely over the top and it’s disproportionate to the visit by a speaker of the house of representatives in the world’s biggest democracy to visit an independent country,” Mr Dutton said of the visit on Tuesday.
Asked to clarify his comments on Wednesday, the former defence minister told reporters in Brisbane: “I don’t advocate a different situation than what you’ve got in Taiwan at the moment.
“We’re respectful of that and I’ve been consistent on that position for a long time and I don’t advocate a change to it.”
The foreign affairs department website states: “The Australian government does not recognise (Taiwan) as a sovereign state and does not regard the authorities in Taiwan as having the status of a national government.”
China’s ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian will address the National Press Club on Wednesday.
While Australia’s strained relationship with China has somewhat thawed with several ministerial meetings post-election, Beijing has still taken aim at politicians for denouncing its tactics in the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing accused Foreign Minister Penny Wong of “finger pointing” after she last week condemned Beijing’s “disproportionate and destabilising” actions.
Mr Dutton says a frank conversation needs to be had about China’s human rights abuses and aggressive actions.
“The Chinese Communist Party has been very clear about their intent in relation to Taiwan and nobody’s exaggerating, nobody’s making this up,” he said.
“If we want to be frank and honest, then that’s better than a model of appeasement.
“We’re not going to cower. We’re not going to appease. As we discovered in the 1930s, appeasing people who want to go into conflict just doesn’t work.”
By Dominic Giannini and Tess Ikonomou in Canberra
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