Peter Dutton, the Liberal leader and former defence minister, said that nobody should be surprised if there is a military conflict between China and Taiwan.
After a shocking speech from the Chinese ambassador to Australia in which Xiao Qian said China would stop at nothing to take back Taiwan, Dutton said that the Chinese Communist Party had been very clear about their intentions.
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, using force if necessary.
Xiao said there would be no compromise on its one China policy in a speech to the National Press Club. China, which is continuing its threatening military behavior in the region after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, wanted a peaceful reunification, he said.
He said that we can never rule out the option to use other means, so when necessary, we are ready to use all necessary means, so when necessary, we can't rule out the option to use other means.
As to what does it mean, all necessary means You can use your imagination, but we will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China. Australia's federal government has been consistently urging de-escalation, restraint and calm. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, echoed that position on Thursday morning on ABC radio.
That is because our national interests in Australia are best served by peace, stability and prosperity in the region. He said that there would be no unilateral change to the status quo.
It means restraint and de-escalation. It means a calm and consistent language. Dutton told Radio National he supported that position. He said we have to be very frank about the threat that is there at the same time.
The CCP has been very clear about their intent in relation to Taiwan. He likened China's belligerence to Russia before it invaded Ukraine, in the sense that many people didn't believe that the conflict would actually happen. He described Xiao's address as surreal. You just have to cut through the propaganda and look at the real message, and the messages are very concerning, he said.
Nobody should be surprised if there is an incursion or if there is a conflict because they said they would be taking back Taiwan, come hell or high water. Bolstering the nation's defence forces, supporting Australia's allies and speaking openly and frankly about the situation would deliver the best chance of allowing China to gracefully dismount Dutton said. He also said he misspoke on the weekend when he called Taiwan independent Earlier, former prime minister Kevin Rudd spoke to the ABC. He said he was deeply concerned about possible military conflict in the coming years, after China s president Xi Jinping sounded a 2049 deadline for the reunification with Taiwan.
Rudd said we were on a 27 year slide into difficult strategic circumstances.
On Wednesday, Xiao was asked if China would re-educate the Taiwanese after reunification. Re-education is a euphemism that China uses for the detention of the ethnic minority Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.
There might be a process for the people in Taiwan to have a correct understanding of China, Xiao said.
Rudd thought it was inevitable that if China forcefully retook Taiwan, it would use the same suppression tactics used in the mainland in 1949, and more recently in Hong Kong in both cases.
The United States should supply more weapons to Taiwan so it can mount a porcupine defence, Rudd said.
He was also asked about Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan, which triggered China's aggression. He said: Did she have the right? Was it wise?