Australian Minister for Defence Peter Dutton yesterday said a conflict involving China over Taiwan cannot be discounted, but added that the Australian government’s focus remains on having “good relations” with Beijing.
Dutton was asked about the prospect of a “battle over Taiwan,” following remarks from former Australian minister for defence Christopher Pyne and former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott about China’s expansionist plans in the region.
“I don’t think it [conflict] should be discounted,” Dutton told Australian Broadcasting Corp’s Insiders.
Photo: AFP
“China has been very clear about the reunification and that’s been a long-held objective of theirs. They have been very clear about that goal,” he said.
“People need to be realistic about the activity. There is militarization of bases across the region. Obviously, there is a significant amount of activity, and there is an animosity between Taiwan and China,” he added.
Dutton said Australia wanted to continue being “a good neighbor in the region” that worked with its partners and allies.
“Nobody wants to see conflict between China and Taiwan, or anywhere else,” he said.
The minister said Australia was focused on continuing “good relations” with China.
“We have good relations with a number of countries, including China, a very important trading partner. We have an incredible diaspora community here in Australia, people who have contributed to our country over generations that are incredibly important Australians,” he said.
“But we do have a difference of opinion with the ideals of the Communist Party of China. Let’s be very frank about it,” he added.
Dutton said Australia was prepared for any conflict and while it planned to stay in “peacetime” the Australian Defence Force (ADF) was ready to meet potential threats.
“There is a high level of preparedness, as there should be, as there always will be, for our Australian Defence Force to meet the threats that we see in our region toward our country, against our allies,” he said.
The outbreak of a war over Taiwan would be “disastrous” for the region, the chief of the ADF said early this month.
Australian General Angus Campbell at the time said Australia would keep pushing for peaceful dialogue and urged countries to “all work to avoid” conflict over the future of Taiwan.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS