U.S. and Australia to act jointly to intervene in Taiwan Strait crisis as strategy toward Taiwan becomes clearer

In an interview on the Australian National University podcast on national security, Michael Goldman, chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Australia, said the U.S. and Australia “must meet their obligations” as allies.

Goldman said the U.S. and Australia are working together to make “our militaries capable of joint operations,” including cooperation on strategic planning. He added, “If you look at our strategic plan, you’ll see that it encompasses a wide range of possible contingencies, and Taiwan obviously plays a major role in that.”

He said the U.S. focus is not limited to the possibility of military intervention in Taiwan, but also includes other risks such as cyber attacks. China’s expanding posture in the Indo-Pacific region and growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait have raised growing concerns. Taiwan has an independent, democratically elected government, but Beijing has continually emphasized its claim to sovereignty over Taiwan.

The United States has repeatedly condemned Beijing’s hard-line stance toward Taiwan. Last month, in a meeting with senior Chinese diplomats, Secretary of State John Blinken reiterated that the U.S. would defend a “rules-based international order.

Goldman, the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Australia, also said he had “a lot of respect” for Australia because it has not given in to the “economic coercion” of the Chinese Communist Party. Goldman said, “As long as China continues to use trade as a means of coercion to suppress U.S. allies, there will be no substantial improvement in U.S.-China relations.”

Relations between China and Australia have continued to deteriorate since last year. Australia has enacted foreign investment laws that restrict Chinese investment in sensitive industries and has called for an international investigation into the source of the new crown virus. China, for its part, has announced a series of punitive tariffs on Australian products, covering barley, beef, wine, seafood, coal, ore and many other Australian exports.

Australian Prime Minister Morrison has advocated a tough policy against the Chinese Communist Party.