TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Jeff Liu, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), on Tuesday (Nov. 7) urged Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to communicate opposition to any changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait to China.
MOFA stated that Taiwan hopes, in maintaining stable relations with China, that Australia could also defend its shared interests and values with Taiwan.
Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping a day earlier in Beijing. During the meeting, Xi stated that China does not engage in exclusivist blocs or confrontational politics.
MOFA contested this statement, deeming it inconsistent with China's behavior in both the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
Liu affirmed that Taiwan and Australia share common interests in upholding the values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, as well as ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
He emphasized shared Trans-Pacific Partnership interests between the two nations.
Liu pointed out that relations between Taiwan and Australia have developed steadily in recent years. Taiwan has now become Australia's fifth-largest trading partner and fourth-largest export market. Meanwhile, Australia is Taiwan's leading supplier of energy and mineral resources.