China’s leader Xi Jinping wants to integrate Taiwan into the mainland during his lifetime. He has instructed his military to be ready to fight and win a war over Taiwan in this decade. Anthony Albanese’s government seems determined not to talk about the possibility of conflict for the sake of stabilising relations with China.

But the assessment made during the Scott Morrison era that this decade is the critical and dangerous one has not been repudiated by Albanese. Which means that deterring China from using force against Taiwan remains the important and urgent task.