Albanese fields US pressure over potential Taiwan war

Australia has said it will not commit troops to any conflict in advance, responding to Pentagon queries asking the US ally to clarify what role it would play if China went to war over Taiwan.

- ARPAN RAI

Prime minister Anthony Albanese said that his country did not support “any unilateral action” on Taiwan and that its spending on both defence and aid was “about advancing peace and security in our region”.

“We have a clear position and we have been consistent about that. We don’t want any change in the status quo,” he said yesterday, the first day of his visit to China.

His remarks came shortly after Australian acting defence minister Pat Conroy said that Australia prioritises its sovereignty and “we don’t discuss hypotheticals”, speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday. “The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance but by the government of the day,” he said.

His remarks come in the wake of pressure from Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary of defence for policy, on Australia and Japan to clarify their military commitments in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.