Chinese threat lurking at Australia's doorstep: Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu

Sydney: – A Chinese spy ship recently sailed past the Australian maritime border. The Australian defence minister Peter Dutton has accused China of committing an act of aggression. Taiwan has warned Australia about the threat posed by China. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has warned that the threat posed by China has reached Australia’s doorstep as China’s military presence in the Solomon Islands could pose a challenge to Australia’s security.

A recent interview of Taiwan’s foreign minister in the Australian press was released on Friday. Taiwan‘s foreign minister has slammed China’s military agreement with the Solomon Islands. He also reminded that China is expanding control in areas under Australia’s influence. Foreign Minister Joseph has said that China’s moves have made it necessary for like-minded countries, such as the United States, Australia, and Japan, to look at the danger knocking at the door of Australia.

Australia has accused China of setting up a military base in the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands are about 1,700 kilometres from Australia. Although Solomon Islands leaders have assured Australia of not allowing China to create a military base in their country, China‘s military action suggests otherwise. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that China’s presence in the Solomon Islands would be a red line for them.

Under such circumstances, a Chinese spy ship was detected near 50 nautical miles off the west coast of Australia last week. Dutton expressed concern that the Chinese spy ship had sailed very close to the Exmouth, a sensitive naval base. Australia has accused China of deploying spy ships in its region.

Australia is set to hold general elections on May 21. The Australian media is claiming that Prime Minister Scott Morrison has lost popularity. One of the reasons is the security agreement between China and Solomon Islands. Opposition leaders in Australia have blamed Prime Minister Morrison for failing to recognize the threat posed by China. In such a scenario, by deploying its ship off to Australia, China is making the situation difficult for Prime Minister Morrison, which would indirectly benefit his opponents.