- Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, has called on Australia to stand against Chinese expansionism, amid growing geopolitical tensions
- Minister Wu warned of increasing aggression and territorial advances from Beijing, which represent a direct threat to Taiwan
- China’s various territorial claims are mainly concerned with its disputed sovereignty over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the South China Sea
- Taiwan considers Australia’s regional influence to be a crucial factor in maintaining peace and security within the Indo-Pacific
- Relations between Australia and China are continuing to worsen, with the nations clashing in both economic and political arenas
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, has called on Australia to stand against Chinese expansionism, amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Minister Wu has warned that China is increasing its acts of aggression and authoritarianism within the region, and that this represents a direct threat to Taiwanese democracy. In particular, he mentioned China’s various territorial advances, which include attempts to reassert its sovereignty over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s relations with China are tense at best, considering China’s recent reaction to the United States’ sale of arms to the small island nation. Chinese military forces have reportedly been encroaching on Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone, with jet fighters crossing the median line of the strait that separates Taiwan from the Asian mainland.
In an interview with ABC TV’s The World, Minister Wu described a strong Australia as a crucial and powerful element to regional security within the Indo-Pacific.
“I’ve seen throughout history that Australia has made so much sacrifice in order to protect [global] principles and values,” he said.
“Therefore, I see like-minded countries like Japan and Australia and India and the United States can also work together to prevent China from further expansionism,” he added.
While Taiwan is looking to Australia to be stand firm against China’s influence in the region, Australia must tread carefully. Relations between Australia and China are already perilously tense, with the countries clashing in both economic and political arenas.
Since Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an inquiry into China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has hit back on multiple fronts.
Over the last several months, China has imposed harsh and unexpected trade tariffs on various Australian export goods. These tariffs have impacted sectors including wine, timber, cotton, coal, beef, lobster, and barley, which were already reeling from COVID-19 impacts.
As if tensions weren’t high enough already, they were recently exacerbated after a Chinese official posted a controversial fake photo on Twitter. The doctored image depicted a member of the Australian military cutting the throat of an Afghani child.
Australian SAS soldiers have indeed recently faced legitimate accusations of war crimes in Afghanistan, causing widespread national shame. In response, Beijing has claimed that Australia would be hypocritical to lecture China on its own examples of human rights violations.
Taiwan’s call for help represents the latest issue within an increasingly complex conflict with China, which Australia must seek to navigate if the country is to find a peaceful resolution.