Australian delegation to Taiwan ‘not official’

PM Anthony Albanese distances himself from trip by lawmakers to the self-ruled island

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would not be joining federal politicians travelling to Taiwan for a reported five-day visit aimed at conveying the country’s wish to maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific.

The group, which includes governing Labor Party and opposition Liberal-National coalition MPs, will fly to Taiwan today and is the first delegation of its type to visit since 2019, The Australian newspaper reported yesterday.

Albanese described the trip as a “backbench” visit to Taiwan, not a government-led one.

“There remains a bipartisan position when it comes to China and when it comes to support for the status quo on Taiwan,” Albanese said.

Asked about the travelling politicians’ intentions, Albanese said: “I have no idea, I’m not going, you should ask them.”

The group includes former leader of the National Party Barnaby Joyce, a spokesman for Joyce has confirmed. Two Labor MPs are also said to be going.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said politicians from various parties regularly travelled to Taiwan before the pandemic and the current delegation “represents a resumption of that activity”.

The group will reportedly meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, with the visit having support from Taiwan’s foreign ministry.

“Just because we are friends with Taiwan does not mean we can’t be friends with China,” Scott Buchholz, a conservative Queensland MP who is in the delegation, told the paper.

The trip – reportedly kept secret to stop Chinese diplomats in Canberra lobbying for its cancellation – is said also to include meetings on security, trade, agriculture and indigenous affairs.

The visit to Taiwan, which is claimed by Beijing as its territory, comes as Australia’s recently elected Labor government has moved to repair its strained diplomatic relations with China.

Australia has clashed with China – its largest trading partner – over trade disputes and the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, amid a growing Chinese presence in the Pacific.

However, Albanese last month met President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20, raising expectations of closer ties. Australia, like most countries, has no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but has joined its ally the US in expressing concern over Chinese pressure, especially military.