A group of Australian MPs has landed Taiwan. Their visit ignored government warnings China on the visit. The visit comes at a time of heightened tension over the island’s self-governance.
“There is a group of bipartisan lawmakers from Australia visiting Taiwan. They are already here,” Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told reporters, as reported by news agencies. AFP extensionTuesday (6/12/2022).
The spokesman said the delegation Australia “It will discuss various matters of mutual interest,” he said, without giving further details.
“We appreciate that Australia’s parliament is very friendly to Taiwan,” Ou said, calling Taipei’s relationship with Canberra “robust, diverse and mutually beneficial.”
The Australian delegation departed on Sunday (4/12) for a five-day visit to Taiwan, according to a spokesperson for a member of the delegation. The visit risks irritating China at a time when Beijing-Canberra relations appear to be melting.
Earlier, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (12/5) said it was against the visit. The ministry called on Australia to respect the “one China principle” and “stop sending the wrong signals to ‘independence forces’ Taiwan‘.”
