‘We won’t bow to Chinese bullying’: Peter Dutton hits back on Taiwan

Peter Dutton has blasted Beijing after a warning Australia would come under ‘heavy attack’ if it joined a war over Taiwan.

Peter Dutton has labelled China a ‘bully’ over a warning to Australia about support for Taiwan. Picture: Getty Images

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has branded China a “bully” that refuses to play by international rules, after one of the regime’s key propaganda figures warned Australia will come under “heavy attack” if it joins a future war over Taiwan.

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece The Global Times, declared on Monday that Australian troops would face a “nightmare” if they fought in the Taiwan Strait, and Australia’s military facilities would also become military targets.

The threat, via Twitter, followed Mr Dutton’s declaration to The Weekend Australian that it was “inconceivable” that Australia would not fight with the United States if it came to Taiwan‘s defence.

The Minister responded to the warning in a radio interview on Thursday, saying there were “lots of worrying signs” in China’s behaviour.

“They‘re words of a bully, not an international player,“ he said of Mr Hu’s comments.

“We are going to stand up for what we believe in and stand with our partners including the United States to make sure there is prevailing peace in our region.

“This is the conduct of the Communist Party of China. We‘re not dealing with a democratic regime; we’re not dealing with somebody who plays by the international rules and we see that everyday in the East China Sea.”

He said the Chinese Embassy’s demand that Australia address Beijing’s “14 grievances” before it will normalise relations between the countries “probably speaks more about the conduct of the Communist Party of China than anything I can say, and people will reach their own conclusions”.

His comments came as a new report by an influential US Congressional body warned China’s “unprecedented” nuclear weapons build up had raised the risk of war with the US and provided the People’s Liberation Army with the confidence to invade Taiwan.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommended the US drastically clamp down on commercial ties with China and take “urgent measures to strengthen the credibility of US military deterrence”.

“China’s growing nuclear capabilities raise the risks of unintentional nuclear escalation or a deliberate nuclear exchange during a conventional conflict in the Indo-Pacific,” the 550-page report said.

Global Times editor Hu Xijin. Picture: Getty Images

It praised Australia’s resilience in the face of Chinese efforts to coerce Canberra, noting how Chinese restrictions on Australian agricultural and coal exports had had “minimal effect” as exporters successfully found other markets.

Scott Morrison said on Thursday that Australia would continue to work with its partners and allies to “shore up a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

“That‘s what we want to see happen, and that’s why we want to ensure there’s an appropriate balance in the region to ensure that we don’t move down the path that those types of events would realise,” the Prime Minister said.

President Xi warned Mr Biden during the leaders’ virtual summit this week that China would take “drastic measures” if Taiwanese separatist forces provoked Beijing.

US President Joe Biden during his video call with China's President Xi Jinping. Picture: AFP

The Coalition is expected to campaign strongly on its national security credentials in the lead-up to the next election, including the forging of the AUKUS military and technology alliance with the US and UK.

Mr Hu tweeted on Monday: “If Australian troops come to fight in the Taiwan Straits, it is unimaginable that China won’t carry out a heavy attack on them and the Australian military facilities that support them. So Australia better be prepared to sacrifice for Taiwan island and the US.”

He added later: “Australia threatened China first, shouldn’t it face the threats in return? If Australian troops come to the Taiwan Straits to fight the PLA, that will definitely be a nightmare for them.”