Australian Defense Minister Joe Dutton said today that the possibility of conflict with the Chinese Communist Party over Taiwan “should not be underestimated,” but that Australia would work with regional allies to try to keep the peace. He also said the Australian military should shift its focus to neighboring regions as the Chinese Communist threat increases.
Reuters reported that Peter Dutton, in a television interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) today, was asked if the possibility of conflict over Taiwan was on the rise. He replied, “I don’t think it (conflict) should be underestimated.”
Duden also said that the Chinese Communist Party’s ambition to unify Taiwan is becoming more and more apparent. He said, “People have to be pragmatic about the activities. There is clearly a lot of activity with the militarization of bases around the region, and there is hostility between Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Party.”
Durden added that while the Australian Defence Force (Defence Force) was highly prepared to respond to any threat to Australia’s regional allies, the Canberra government was committed to trying to keep the peace.
He said, “We want to make sure we continue to play the role of good neighbor in the region, working with our partners and allies, and nobody wants to see the Chinese Communist Party in conflict with Taiwan or anywhere else.”
According to 9 News, Durden also sternly warned Australians on Anzac Day today that it was time for the Australian Defence Force to turn its focus to the neighbouring region as the Chinese Communist threat increases.
Speaking on Nine’s Weekend Today program this morning, Durden paid tribute to the tens of thousands of Australians and other allied troops who have fought in the Middle East over the past 20 years, saving Australia and other countries from terrorist attacks.
However, with the only 80 remaining Australian Defence Force members in Afghanistan expected to return home by September, Durden said Australia must now focus on the national security threat closer to home. “We have to acknowledge that our region is changing,” he said.
“The Chinese Communist Party is militarizing ports all over our region. We have to respond to all of that, and that’s what we’re focusing on now.”
Duden’s announcement came after Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced late on the 21st that the federal government would withdraw Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement with the Chinese Communist Party, saying it was inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy.
Although China is Australia’s largest trading partner, diplomatic relations between the two countries have deteriorated since the Canberra government called for an international investigation into the source of the new coronavirus (a Chinese Communist virus), prompting Beijing to launch trade retaliation. The Chinese city of Wuhan was the first place in the world to notify the emergence of the novel coronavirus.
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