Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu (left) speaks at a webinar, hosted by Australia’s La Trobe University Oct. 30 in Taipei City. (MOFA)
 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu participated in an academic webinar Oct. 30 from Taipei City in which he warned of the impact of instability in the Taiwan Strait and called for democracies to deter authoritarian expansion.

The event was organized by Australia-based La Trobe University and titled “Asia’s changing security order: the view from Taiwan.” Wu said Taiwan and Australia are like-minded Indo-Pacific partners that cooperate in biotechnology, economy and education, among other sectors. 

The minister emphasized that due to the country’s indispensable role in the global economy and supply chains, any instability in the Taiwan Strait would cause deep and long-lasting damage. He added that that democratic nations including those of Europe, and Australia, Canada, Japan and the U.S. should continue to support Taiwan to address China’s authoritarian expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.

The minister praised Australian national defense reform based on its Defense Strategic Review. Wu further acknowledged the importance of Australia’s active participation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity and the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

In addition, the minister lauded the Australian government for its support of cross strait peace and stability, its opposition to unilateral change of the status quo and its backing for a peaceful resolution of the cross-strait issue. (POC-E)