TAIPEI, Taiwan (CWBN)_A senior Taiwanese government official has called for stronger bilateral relations with Australia in the fields of trade and security, as the nation tries to counter China’s increasingly assertive military.
Wang Ting-yu, the co-chair of Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee, said that Taiwan intends to enhance cooperation with other democratic states, including Australia, in order to strengthen regional security.
The senior government official argued that an important step in deterring China would be to allow Taiwan to join some of the key security networks in the region, such as the Quad, which comprises of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
Although Australia does not formally recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state, Canberra has recently increased its unofficial relations with Taipei in areas such as combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, several Australian lawmakers, including Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, have expressed concern regarding growing military tensions between Taiwan and China.
“Australia is observing very closely what’s happening not just around Taiwan but also in the South China Sea,” she said. “We would always call on people to exercise caution and restraint and work together to ensure all nations abide by international law.”
