CANBERRA, Australie –
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Monday called for an easing of tensions after Beijing accused her of “pointing fingers” in its criticism of Chinese military exercises in response to US President Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Wong criticized China’s launching of ballistic missiles during ongoing air and sea exercises around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory. She also signed a joint statement with the United States and Japan on Saturday condemning the missile strikes in Japan’s exclusive economic zones and accusing China of “raising tension and destabilizing the region.”
The Chinese Embassy in Australia responded to the trilateral statement saying, “It is absolutely unacceptable to single out China’s justified actions to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The embassy accused Australia of following orders from the United States, which China has described as “the biggest saboteur and destabilizer of peace in the Taiwan Strait and the biggest troublemaker for regional stability”. .
“We…hope the Australian side can handle the Taiwan issue with caution, not follow the strategy of some countries of containing China with Taiwan, and not create new troubles and disturbances in China-Australia relations,” he said. said a statement from the embassy. .
Wong declined to comment on the state of China-Australia relations after Pelosi’s visit last week. Beijing had signaled a potential reset in the relationship following the election of Australia’s new government in May. Relations had reached new depths during the nine years in power of the previous government.
“What’s most critical right now is that the temperature be lowered and calm be restored with respect to cross-Strait tensions,” Wong told reporters.
“Australia continues to call for restraint, Australia continues to call for de-escalation, and this is not something Australia alone is calling for, and the whole region is concerned about the current situation, any the region calls for the restoration of stability,” Wong added.
Asked how Australia was developing a foreign policy independent of the United States, Wong told reporters: “Australia is always guided by our national interests.”
She then hosted US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Parliament. Sherman came to Australia after visiting the Solomon Islands, Samoa and Tonga, South Pacific island nations where China is growing its influence.
Sherman said at the start of the talks with Wong that the United States and Australia “share a commitment to deepening cooperation with the Pacific islands who are essential partners.”
Wong’s call for restraint was backed by Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, who was in the Australian capital Canberra for the opening of a new embassy.
Rinkevics drew parallels between the Chinese military’s assertion of Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s very important to understand that China is also watching very carefully what’s happening in Europe, what’s happening in Ukraine,” he said. “It is very important that we work together and send the same kind of message about the need to exercise restraint, not to overreact in their actions and not create another regional and global hot spot. ”
Latvia wants Russia to be declared a state sponsor of terrorism and has urged other countries to follow the Latvian example by denying all Russians any type of visa.
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