China’s ambassador to Australia has stressed there will be no compromise on Taiwan, saying Beijing has been “waiting for a peaceful reunification” but will not rule out using other means if necessary.
Key points:
- As China continues military drills around Taiwan, Xiao Qian says there is no room for compromise
- He has addressed ties with Australia, saying a change in government provided an “opportunity to reset”
- The media came under attack for souring relations through its “negative” China coverage
“As to what does it mean ‘all necessary means?’ You can use your imagination,” Xiao Qian said.
Addressing the National Press Club as China’s historic military drills in the Taiwan Strait entered a sixth day, Mr Xiao would not predict how long the exercises would continue.
“If every country put their ‘One China’ policy into practice with sincerity, with no compromise, it is going to guarantee the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
“There’s no room for compromise. How long it’s going to last, a proper time? I think there will be an announcement.”
The drills were triggered by a visit to the island from United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week, angering China, which regards the self-ruled island as its own.
Saying Beijing’s response is “legitimate and justified”, the ambassador repeated China’s blame on the US for the current tensions.
“It is the US side that should, and must, take full responsibility for the escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” Mr Xiao said.
The largest-ever Chinese exercises surrounding the island have included ballistic missile launches and simulated sea and air attacks in the skies and seas surrounding Taiwan.
They have fueled discussion about the global response if China were to attack the island.
It has also prompted Taiwan to begin its own military drills to test combat readiness, and prepare air raid shelters for its 23 million residents.
“I would rather not use the word ‘invasion’ when we talk about China and Taiwan,” Mr 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.”
Mr Xiao’s comments came as China released a new statement mirroring the remarks.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office reaffirmed its threat to use military force to bring Taiwan under its control.
An English-language version of the Chinese statement said Beijing would “work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification … But we will not renounce the use of force”.
Mending Australia-China relations
Repairing China and Australia’s fractured ties dominated much of the ambassador’s speech.
He said the change in government provided an “opportunity to reset” the relationship between the two nations.
In recent years, the relationship has deteriorated, with China imposing trade sanctions on several Australian exports such as wine and lobsters.
The ambassador said recent high-level meetings had been productive, but that there was still a long way to go.
“The positive progress in our bilateral relations is encouraging. It’s [an] encouraging start. And, of course, there’s a lot of work to be done,” he said.
Mr Xiao pressed the importance of cooperation and not being swayed by interests with other partners.
While he has 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.
“So, it is imperative for the governments of our two countries to adopt positive policies towards each other, take positive and concrete measures to improve the atmosphere of cooperation.”
Australia has joined with other nations — including the US — to condemn Beijing’s decision to extend military drills around Taiwan.
Chinese officials have said condemnation by Australia was undermining regional peace and stability, and amounted to meddling in its affairs.
Prior to Mr Xiao’s address, 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 ward off constant Chinese criticism of Australia, saying it was up to China whether relations with Australia thawed or deteriorated again.
“If engaging in a more respectful, diplomatic way takes us some way down a path, it does — and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” Mr Marles said.
“We can only control our end of this equation. But we will always be speaking up for the national interest.”
Media comes under attack
Australia’s media was also criticized for its role in sourcing relations.
The ambassador said China was rarely portrayed in a positive light, instead coverage was overwhelmingly negative and unfair.
“Media coverage of China is, at many times, misleading and harms friendship between the two peoples,” he said.
“No country is perfect, however the coverage on a country that is always in a negative perspective is nowhere near to telling the truth about that country.”
Fan Yang, a research fellow in 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 issues of China.”
She said this was because Australian interests and angles were applied to coverage on China.
Mr Xiao said China was committed to strengthening ties, marking December 22 — the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries — as a key date.
“I think it’s perfect time for our two countries to review the past, look into the future, take concrete actions in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefits.”
Feng Chongyi, an associate professor from the University of Technology Sydney, said nothing new came out of the address and was disappointed that Mr Xiao did not elaborate on concrete measures to reset and improve Australia-China relations.
“He pretty much attributed all the reasons for the deterioration of Australia-China relations in the past few 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 untrue,” Dr Feng told the ABC.
“The policy of the previous Australian government was a bipartisan consensus, a fact the ambassador ignored.”
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