Australia says ‘deeply concerning, destabilising’ Chinese exercises near Taiwan risk inflaming regional tension | Australian foreign policy
Australia said it was deeply concerned about China’s military exercises near Taiwan and had raised the issue with Chinese officials.
In a statement Published on WednesdayThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said large-scale simulations risk destabilizing the region and could result in an accident or escalation.
The People’s Liberation Army launched its comprehensive surprise attack simulation on Monday, dubbing their war game “Justice Mission 2025.”
Dfat said the exercises were “extremely worrying, destabilizing and risk exacerbating regional tensions.”
The statement said, “Australia strongly opposes any action that would cause accidents, miscalculations or increase tensions. Differences should be managed through dialogue, not the use of force or pressure.”
“Australia opposes any unilateral action to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. Peace and stability are in all our interests.”
“Australian officials have raised concerns with their Chinese counterparts.”
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The PLA, the armed wing of China’s ruling Communist party, launched 27 missiles from the Chinese coastline into waters near Taiwan on Tuesday, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry.
At least 70 Chinese warplanes, 11 navy ships and 14 ships belonging to China’s militarized coast guard were also detected.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said the missiles came closer to Taiwan’s main island than in previous live-fire drills.
Some landed within the 24 nautical miles contiguous zone of Taiwan, and at least 13 ships were also detected in these restricted waters, the ministry said.
The military detected 130 fighter jets, 28 ships, amphibious assault ships and a surveillance balloon in 24 hours from 6 a.m. on Monday.
This is the PLA’s sixth major military exercise targeting Taiwan since 2022, when it launched days of live-fire drills in retaliation for then-US speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. In April, Strait conducted a two-day operation labeled Thunder-2025A, leading to expectations of a “B” rating before the end of the year.
Analysts said it was the first time the PLA had publicly said it was working to deter international intervention. Also unusually, a number of PLA aircraft remained visible on radar platforms.
Asked about the drills on Monday, US President Donald Trump said he had a great relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that “he hasn’t said anything to me about it.”
“I definitely saw that… I don’t believe he would do that,” Trump said, appearing to refer to an actual invasion. “Nothing worries me.”
According to US intelligence from several years ago, Beijing claims that Taiwan is a Chinese province and is preparing to annex Taiwan militarily, with the goal of being able to occupy it by 2027.
