BEIJING (RT) – Australian
Defense Minister Peter Dutton refused to rule out arming Taiwan against China in the same way that the West has armed Ukraine against Russia, claiming Australia would do whatever it can to “deter China from acts of aggression”.
In an interview with ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, Dutton claimed China was “amassing nuclear weapons” and “militarizing” and likened the “threat” of China reclaiming Taiwan to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After being asked whether Australia would arm Taiwan in the same way that the West has armed Ukraine if China tried to reclaim the island, Dutton said, “Well I think we do whatever we can to deter China from acts of aggression in our region”.
“The question is, as it is in the Ukraine at the moment, if it’s Taiwan does it just stop there?” the minister questioned, before citing former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. “Does it mean that China wants to have this tributary state model as Kissinger and others have spoken about over history in the Indo-Pacific? What does it mean for our trading relationships with Malaysia or with Vietnam or with Indonesia?”
Dutton said while there is always “a cost for action”, there is also a “cost of inaction”, and added, “So ours for now is a desire to see peace prevail and to deter any acts of aggression whether it’s from China or from Russia or anybody else.”
After interviewer David Speers asked Dutton to give a clear response as to whether Australia would arm Taiwan, Dutton refused to rule out anything, saying the country would “take interest in any of those conflicts or the threat of conflict that serve our national interest”.
The remarks come a day after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang vowed to advance peaceful ties with Taiwan and “reunification,” insisting that Beijing remains committed to the “one China” precept and opposes any foreign meddling.
Speaking at the opening of the annual meeting of China’s parliament on Saturday, Li reiterated his government’s unwavering stance on the “one China” principle, which regards the self-ruled island territory as part of China.
“We will advance the peaceful growth of relations across the Taiwan Strait and the reunification of China,” Li underlined. “We firmly oppose any separatist activities seeking ‘Taiwan independence’ and firmly oppose foreign interference.”
“All of us, Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, should come together to advance the great and glorious cause of China’s rejuvenation,” he added.
Beijing, which regards Chinese Taipei as its own territory and does not rule out the use of force to bring the island territory under its control, has escalated its military maneuvers near the island over the past two years in response to the growing presence of U.S. warships in the area, in addition to what it views as “collusion” between Taipei and Washington, Taiwan’s principal international backer and weapons supplier.
Late last month, China denounced as “provocative” the passage of yet another U.S. warship through the strategically-sensitive Taiwan Strait, which separates the self-ruled island from mainland China.