Defence Minister Richard Marles says Australian remains ‘in step’ with the US policy to China and Taiwan.
He was asked on Today this morning whether the visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last week had increased tensions with China.
“United States action here is, I think, consistent with ours, which is about defending a global rules-based order, a global rules-based order.
“Things like the UN convention on the law of the sea which provides freedom of navigation for a trading island like Australia, that is fundamentally important to our national interest.
“Most of our trade, for example, goes through the South China Sea. So the rules of the road apply all over the world including within the Indo-Pacific and are fundamentally important.”
Marles repeated his calls for de-escalation in the Taiwan Strait.
“I think we would all breathe a sigh of relief if we saw a return to normal, peaceful activity around there.”
