Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer yesterday played down China's military buildup across from Taiwan while urging countries to do all they can to discourage Taipei from declaring independence.
"My sense is that the military buildup on the part of China in relation to Taiwan is about providing a disincentive for Taiwan to declare independence, not so much a prelude to some military expedition," Downer said in Beijing.
China has said it wants to peacefully reunify with Taiwan but has threatened to respond to a formal declaration of independence by going to war.
Downer said that other than holding firm to its threshold of not tolerating Taiwanese independence, Beijing seemed comfortable with moving toward a reconciliation with Taiwan in a peaceful way.
"I got positive messages back from the Chinese leadership. They didn't say that they were embarking on some military action against Taiwan," Downer told a press conference.
China has some 600 ballistic missiles aimed at the island and both sides have recently conducted large-scale war games in the Taiwan Strait.
Cross-strait tension has been escalating since President Chen Shui-bian (
In a bid to prevent "a substantial upheaval in the region" he said it was imperative that the US and EU do all they can to dissuade Chen from going down the independence path.
"It's incumbent upon countries like Australia and active and significant countries in the region and beyond, the European Union and the United States, to transmit to the Taiwanese leadership the message that a proclamation of independence would be provocative," Downer said.
During meetings with Chinese leaders here, including Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), Downer said he had told them that Australia had been actively urging Taiwan not to declare independence.
Downer also reiterated Australia's support for the "one China" policy under which Taiwan is defined as a part of China.
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
RSS