Australia wary of China's "destabilizing" actions around Taiwan: Envoy

Tokyo [Japan], May 14 : The Australian government is cautious about China's "destabilizing" actions around Taiwan, ambassador to Japan Justin Hayhurst said, Kyodo News reported.

During an interview with Kyodo News, Hayhurst said that he is "concerned about actions that China has taken that are destabilizing, whether in relation to Taiwan or in the South China Sea," adding that it is vital to "support peace and stability and avoid conflict and aggression."

Tensions over Taiwan have been rising, especially after China conducted a series of mock drills about the island country in response to the meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last month.

Talking about the upcoming Quad Summit, which is scheduled to take place on May 24, the Australian AMbassador said that their position is very clear that any conflict or miscalculation or use of violence to change the status quo would be "catastrophic."

The Quad Summit among four major Indo-Pacific democracies (Australia, Japan, India and US) is scheduled to be held on May 24 in Sydney.

He also raised concerns about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying there is a "clear connection between what happens in that conflict...and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific."

In the upcoming Quad summit, he said, a "new initiative" will be advocated to advance agendas such as regional security, maritime security and cybersecurity, reported Kyodo News.

China has criticized the Quad, saying that countries should not form "exclusive and closed circles," and that it is striving to establish an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Orgzation.

Amid such a deteriorating security environment, Japan's parliament last month approved legislation for a defense cooperation agreement with Australia, in a veiled counter to China's military rise and aggressive posture in the Indo-Pacific.

The pact sets rules for the transportation of personnel, weapons and supplies. The ambassador said Australia expects to complete its ratification and conduct joint exercises with Japan by the end of the year.

Ahead of the Quad Summit, there will be the G7 Summit which will be hosted by Japan and is scheduled to take place from May 19 to 21 in Hiroshima, according to Kyodo News.