Tensions between China and Australia could escalate further, diplomatic observers warned, as Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said that the latest conflict between China and Taiwan should not be ignored.
On that occasion, he proposed the possibility of terminating the Chinese lease of the Australian port of Darwin in the Northern Territory.
The Minister of Defense also said that Australia and its allies in the region will try to maintain peace.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded on Monday.
– We hope that the Australian side will fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, adhering to the principle of “one China”. We hope that Australia will be prudent in words and deeds and will refrain from sending any false signals to the separatist forces of Taiwan’s independence. We believe that they will do more in favor of peace and stability in the Taiwan Sea and Sino-Australian relations – Wenbin said.
To make the tension even greater, Daton and Venbin were followed by a statement from Daton’s until recently close associate, Secretary of the Interior Mike Pezul, who, commenting that “war drums have been heard more and more globally lately”, said that Australia should to be prepared for a possible conflict in the region.
– Australia must always strive for peace, but not at the cost of its precious freedom – Pezulo said in a statement that stirred the spirits on the domestic political scene.
Former Australian Minister of Defense Christopher Payne stated on April 12 that the chances for war in the Indo-Pacific region, which would include China. grow rapidly. He warned that Taiwan, after Hong Kong, would most likely be the next stumbling block.
On the same day, 25 Chinese military planes entered Taiwanese airspace, just a day after a senior US official warned of “increasingly aggressive” Beijing.
In early April, the top diplomat of the American embassy currently stationed in Australia, Michael Goldman, said that Australia and the United States were discussing contingency plans in the event of a military conflict around Taiwan.
Interestingly, Australia does not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, but has recently increased unofficial cooperation with this island nation, which China considers its province, in areas such as the fight against the Kovid pandemic.
According to Minister Daton, China is becoming clearer in its ambitions for reunification with Taiwan. On the other hand, the Taiwanese government says that only the Taiwanese people can decide on the future of the country, and it has condemned the Chinese threats.
In addition, in December, Wang Tingyu, co-chair of Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, called for greater security and economic cooperation with Australia as his nation tries to oppose China’s increasingly assertive military.
By the way, Australia’s diplomatic relations with China, as the largest trading partner, have deteriorated since Canberra requested an international investigation into the origin of the corona virus, which caused numerous trade retaliations by Beijing.
Dutton also said that although there is a high level of readiness of the Australian defense forces to respond to any threats in the region against the allies, Canberra will work on trying to maintain peace.
However, diplomatic observers in China warned that such comments could further damage relations between the two countries, especially after the decision of the Australian Government to cancel the agreements that the federal state of Victoria signed with Beijing.
The Chinese will seek compensation
The Northern Territory government signed a 99-year lease agreement with the Chinese company Landbridge in 2015, which provoked different reactions and the attitude of many that the agreement could endanger the security of Australia.
Peter Dutton stated that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maris Payne, will decide whether the lease of this port is in the national interest.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, replied that he hoped that the Australian side would treat the Sino-Australian cooperation objectively and rationally.
– Australia will probably terminate the lease of the port of Darwin, because it often conducts military operations with the American army there. In the background of the Sino-US conflict, Australia may be concerned that commercial cooperation with China will affect military cooperation with the United States. But, if Australia violates the agreement, it will have to pay compensation to China – Wang pointed out.
Conflict devastating for the region
The head of the Australian defense forces, General Angus Campbell, said that the outbreak of the war around Taiwan would be “disastrous for the region”, suggesting that Australia would continue to insist on dialogue and a peaceful solution. Campbell called on the countries involved to “do everything to avoid conflict” over the future of Taiwan.
The comment came just weeks after an American diplomat revealed that the United States and Australia were already planning how to respond to possible military scenarios in the region.
Flammable rhetoric
Interior Ministry Secretary Michael Pezul’s statement about “war drums” was strongly condemned by former opposition leader Bill Shorten.
– It is the vocabulary of an overly excited person. Such inflammatory rhetoric is dangerous and does not befit a single civil servant. I don’t see how such a dictionary could help in the whole situation, except to create even greater anxiety in people – said Shorten.
The article War Games in the Taiwan Sea appears first on Vesti online.
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