Taiwan fears that the reluctance of South-East Asian nations to stand up to China will derail Australia’s security alignment with the United States and Japan.
Senior Taiwan officials have warned Australia that South-East Asian nations are being blindsided by the economic benefits of dealing with China, weakening the Albanese government’s US-aligned regional security strategy.
The 10 members of the Association of South East Asia Nations want to stay neutral in an increasingly multipolar region, where Chinese investment and loans power projects ranging from fast trains to Indonesia’s new green industrial park.
China’s claims over Taiwan are at the centre of growing security concerns about Beijing, and these are complicating the Albanese government’s efforts to reboot trade ties. All South-East Asian states adhere to a One China policy, meaning they don’t recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state. However, they have trading and economic ties and have also benefited from Taipei’s new Southbound Policy that seeks to enhance political, economic, social, and cultural links.“Many ASEAN nations have a significant number of their citizens working and living in Taiwan. However, they are unlikely to showcase overt support,” Dr Le Thu said.
He also said that countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines refuse, or hesitate, to meet with representatives of Taiwan’s foreign affairs department to discuss security issues.“Myanmar and Laos are just out of reach,” he says. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are interested in doing business with Taiwan, but they also want to do business with China, and hence “are very concerned about possible Chinese reactions”.
Taiwan maintains ASEAN’s determination not to choose sides in US-China strategic competition is playing into Beijing’s hands by emboldening China to invade Taiwan and plunging Asia into war.
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