China’s ambassador to Australia has stressed there will be no compromise with Taiwan, saying Beijing has been “hoping for peaceful reunification” but will not rule out using other means if necessary.
Key Points:
- As China continues military exercises around Taiwan, Xiao Qian says there is no room for compromise
- He addressed ties with Australia, saying a change in government provides an “opportunity to reset”
- The media was attacked for aggravating relations through its “negative” coverage of China
“What does ‘all means necessary?’ You can use your imagination,” Xiao Qian said.
Addressing the National Press Club as China’s historic military exercises in the Taiwan Strait entered a sixth day, Xiao would not predict how long the exercises would last.
“If every country implements its ‘One China’ policy sincerely, without compromise, it will ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
“There’s no room for compromise. How long will it last, an appropriate time? I think there will be an announcement.”
The drills were triggered by a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week and angered China, which claims the self-governing island as its own.
Calling Beijing’s response “legitimate and justified,” the ambassador reiterated China’s blame on the US for current tensions.
“It is the US side that should and must bear full responsibility for the escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” Xiao said.
Larger Chinese exercises surrounding the island have included ballistic missile launches and simulated naval and air strikes in the skies and seas surrounding Taiwan.
They have fueled discussion about the global response if China attacks the island.
It has also prompted Taiwan to begin its own military exercises to test combat readiness and prepare air raid shelters for its 23 million residents.
“I would prefer not to use the word ‘invasion’ when we talk about China and Taiwan,” Xiao said.
“Taiwan is different from any other scenario or situation. Taiwan is not an independent state…Taiwan is a province of the People’s Republic of China.”
People in Taiwan have been told to take shelter and cover their eyes and ears in case of a missile attack. (Reuters: Ann Wang)
Mr Xiao’s comments came as China released a new statement reflecting the remarks.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office reaffirmed its threat to use military force to bring Taiwan under its control.
An English version of the Chinese statement said Beijing would “work with the utmost sincerity and make our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification… But we will not give up the use of force.”
Repairing Australia-China relations
Mending the fractured ties between China and Australia dominated much of the ambassador’s speech.
He said the change in government provides an “opportunity to reset” the relationship between the two nations.
In recent years, the relationship has soured, with China imposing trade sanctions on several Australian exports such as wine and lobster.
The ambassador said that recent high-level meetings had been productive, but there was still a long way to go.
“The positive progress of our bilateral relations is encouraging. It is so [an] encouraging start And, of course, there is a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Xiao stressed the importance of cooperation and not being swayed by interests with other partners.
While he avoided naming the US, he said Australia should make its own judgments and decisions, “free from interference from a third party”.
“When we cooperate, we both win. When we don’t, we both lose,” he said.
“Therefore, it is imperative that the governments of our two countries adopt positive policies towards each other, take positive and concrete measures to improve the atmosphere of cooperation.”
Pelosi met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during her visit to Taipei. (AP: Taiwan Presidential Office)
Australia has joined other nations, including the United States, in condemning Beijing’s decision to extend military exercises around Taiwan.
Chinese officials have said Australia’s condemnation was undermining regional peace and stability and meddling in their affairs.
Before the speech of Mr. Xiao, Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles called on China to end its combat exercises and maintain the status quo.
He added that there was little the federal government could do to prevent ongoing Chinese criticism of Australia, saying it was up to China if relations with Australia thawed or deteriorated again.
“If engaging in a more respectful and diplomatic way gets us somewhere, yes, and if it doesn’t, no,” Marles said.
“We can only control our end of this equation. But we will always speak for the national interest.”
The media are under attack
Australia’s media was also criticized for its role in the sour relationship.
The ambassador said that China was rarely portrayed in a positive light, instead the coverage was overwhelmingly negative and unfair.
“The media coverage of China is, on many occasions, misleading and damaging to the friendship between the two peoples,” he said.
“No country is perfect, but coverage of a country that is always in a negative light is nowhere near telling the truth about that country.”
Fan Yang, a researcher on Chinese-Australian communities at Deakin University, said she tended to agree with the ambassador that “there was a lack of diversity in Australian journalists reporting on China issues”.
He said this was because Australian interests and angles were applied to China coverage.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in July, in the first such talks since 2019. (Credit: Australian Embassy in Jakarta)
Xiao said China was committed to strengthening ties, marking December 22, the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as a key date.
“I think it is the perfect time for our two countries to review the past, look to the future, take concrete actions in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefits.”
Feng Chongyi, an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney, said nothing new came out of the address and was disappointed that Mr Xiao did not expand on concrete measures to restore and improve Australia-China relations.
“He attributed almost all of the reasons for the deterioration of Australia-China relations in recent years to the policies of the previous Australian government, without suggesting that China had any responsibility. [and] even denying Chinese economic coercion in general, which is not true,” Dr Feng told the ABC.
“The previous Australian government’s policy was a bipartisan consensus, a fact the ambassador ignored.”