Taipei [Taiwan]: Amid growing tension between China and Australia, Taiwan has called on Canberra to help defend the island territory against threats from Beijing.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has warned that matters with China can escalate amid aggressive military activities, ABC News reported. He said that Taipei could be used as a scapegoat to relieve increasing pressures at home.
"If you look at the Chinese military activities around Taiwan, it's been intensifying. We see that the Chinese military vessels, as well as its military airplanes, cross into Taiwan's ADIZ, especially in the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ almost on a daily basis," Wu was quoted as saying by ABC News.
"If an authoritarian country is facing domestic difficulties, the easiest way for them to keep the country together will be ... to find a scapegoat outside," he added.
The Foreign Minister has called on like-minded countries including Australia to back Taiwan against the Chinese "expansionism".
"I see like-minded countries like Japan and Australia and India and the United States can also work together to prevent China from further expansionism," Wu said.
This comes as a growing diplomatic dispute between China and Australia on trade, defence, and foreign policy matters.
China continues to regard Taipei as a "breakaway province" and has said that it wouldn't mind using force to claim it.
In recent years it has also increased military drills around Taiwan, with almost 40 Chinese warplanes crossing the median line between the mainland.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the United States.
(ANI)
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