Beijing threatens Australia with ‘the worst consequences’

Beijing’s outburst over Taiwan was delivered as China’s new ambassador met with Paul Keating, John Howard and Bob Carr.

Wang Yi, left, and Wei Fenghe, right, converse during the closing session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on Friday. Picture: AFP

China’s Defence Ministry said Australia will “suffer the worst consequences” if it offers military support to Taiwan in a tirade launched the day after Xi Jinping’s top envoy in Australia told Foreign Minister Marise Payne he wanted to push relations “along the right track”.

In a remarkable instance of two-pronged diplomacy, Beijing’s outburst was delivered at the end of a week in which China’s new ambassador Xiao Qian spoke of “mutual respect” in separate meetings in Sydney with former prime ministers Paul Keating and John Howard, Foreign Minister Payne and former foreign minister Bob Carr.

The fresh lashing was given late on Thursday four days after Defence Minister Peter Dutton said Australia would do “whatever we can” to deter China from ”acts of aggression” in the Taiwan Strait.

Denouncing Mr Dutton’s “Cold War mentality” and “ideological bias”, a spokesman for China’s powerful Ministry of National Defence said “no one and no force” could stop Beijing from bringing Taiwan under its control.

“Anyone who makes trouble on the Taiwan question will suffer the worst consequences in the end,” said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei days after Beijing raised defence spending by more than 7 per cent.

“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is always in full readiness to thwart resolutely any interference from external forces and any ‘Taiwan independence’ plot by separatist forces,” Colonel Tan said.

In a second attack, the Chinese spokesman said — without evidence — that Canberra had lied about a Chinese warship’s use of a laser last month off Australia’s north coast.

The Taiwan tirade came days after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi cast Australia as an “acolyte” in a “sinister” American-led plot to constrain China’s rise.

China’s top diplomat dubbed the strategy Washington’s “5432 posture”, listing the pillars of Australia’s security framework: the Five Eyes intelligence group, the four member Quad, the three member AUKUS security partnership and America’s bilateral engagement with allies, such as AUSMIN with Australia.

At the high-profile event at Beijing’s annual rubber stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, Mr Wang said that China’s relations with Russia remained “rock solid” despite its invasion of Ukraine.

The day earlier, President Xi Jinping instructed a group of political advisers to note the “chaos in the West”.

During a separate session at the National People’s Congress, Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, said the People’s Liberation Army faced “high pressure” and “high risks”.

“Against the backdrop of the decline of the West and the rise of the East, confrontation between major powers is unprecedented and we need to focus on responding to containment and suppression from the outside,” General Wei said.

Back in Australia, Mr Xi’s new envoy has been attempting a charm offensive with Chinese characteristics.

Before this week’s meetings with Mr Keating, Mr Howard, Senator Payne, Mr Carr and the head of the Australia-China Relations Institute James Laurenceson, Mr Xiao met separately with Fortescue billionaire Andrew Forrest, former foreign minister Julie Bishop, Howard government minister Warwick Smith and the president of the Australia China Business Council David Olsson.

He has also requested a meeting with Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong.

In those private meetings, the new Chinese envoy attempted a conciliatory tone — in contrast to the anger in Beijing.

“It is hoped that the two sides will work together to review the past and look into the future,” Mr Xiao told his influential interlocutors.

“[We should] adhere to the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and make joint efforts to push forward China-Australia relations along the right track,” he said, according to the Chinese embassy.