It would be “inconceivable” for Australia not to join the US should Washington take action to defend Taiwan, Australian Minister of Defence Peter Dutton said yesterday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that the US and its allies would take unspecified “action” if China were to use force to alter the “status quo” over Taiwan.
“It would be inconceivable that we wouldn’t support the US in an action if the US chose to take that action,” Dutton told the Australian newspaper in an interview.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“And, again, I think we should be very frank and honest about that, look at all of the facts and circumstances without precommitting, and maybe there are circumstances where we wouldn’t take up that option, [but] I can’t conceive of those circumstances,” he said.
China’s military on Tuesday said it conducted a combat readiness patrol in the direction of the Taiwan Strait, after the Chinese Ministry of National Defense condemned a visit by a US congressional delegation to Taiwan.
China has “been very clear about their intent to go into Taiwan, and we need to make sure that there is a high level of preparedness, a greater sense of deterrence by our capability, and that is how I think we put our country in a position of strength,” Dutton told the newspaper.
US President Joe Biden is to hold a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) tomorrow, the White House has said, talks Washington hopes will create some stability amid increased tensions between the two nations.
Xi and Biden “will exchange views on China-US relations and issues of mutual interest,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said in a statement.
Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) spoke to Blinken on Saturday, and urged both sides to prepare for a smooth meeting to ensure that relations are propelled back to a healthy level, a statement on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site said.
Wang also told Blinken that the US should not send the wrong signals to Taiwanese pro-independence forces, the statement said.
“If the United States really wants to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, it should clearly and resolutely oppose any Taiwan pro-independence behavior,” Wang said.
Wang and Blinken also exchanged views on areas including energy efficiency, climate change and the Iran nuclear issue, and agreed to maintain dialogue on global challenges, China said.
Former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Daniel Russel said both Biden and Xi are worried by the risk of a military incident escalating.
“Biden knows that the tools for prevention and crisis management are rusty, so we should expect him to push to put in place safeguards or ‘guardrails’ to reduce risk,” he said.
Russel said the Sept. 9 call between the presidents began with Xi listing complaints, but ended with a constructive agreement for officials to continue discussions.
“This suggests that the personal relationship Biden built with Xi a decade ago is still strong, and that each conversation can add some stability to the mix,” he said.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military