Xi Jinping has launched a ‘new Cold War’: Kevin Andrews

Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party is in an international struggle against democracy, former defence minister Kevin Andrews has warned in a blunt address in Taiwan.

Kevin Andrews says ‘it’s naive to think that this Cold War is avoidable. It is currently being prosecuted’. Picture: Gary Ramage

Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party is waging a “new Cold War”, which the world must call out and resist, former defence minister Kevin Andrews has warned in a blunt address in Taiwan.

Citing speeches by China’s leader and recent Communist Party texts on “Xi Jinping Thought”, which are “replete with Cold War rhetoric”, the former Abbott government minister said Mr Xi was involved in an international struggle against democracy.

“It’s naive to think that this Cold War is avoidable. It is currently being prosecuted,” Mr Andrews said on Tuesday at a major security summit in Taipei, organised by Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry.

Mr Andrews noted Communist Party opposition to “so-called constitutionalism, multi-party elections, the division of powers, the bicameral system, and the independence of the judiciary”, quoting a speech by one of Mr Xi’s senior cadres last year.

“What, I ask, remains of democracy after removal of these fundamental pillars?”

Mr Andrews’ speech underlines the depth of concern among many current and former Australian politicians about the Xi administration.

It comes amid threats from Beijing over a scheduled trip to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, the US Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Former prime minister Paul Keating on Monday said Ms Pelosi’s trip was “foolish, dangerous and unnecessary”.

Asked by The Australian on Tuesday for his thoughts on the planned trip, former Japanese defence minister Taro Kono said the decision for any politician to travel to Taiwan was “totally up to them”.

“And if Speaker Pelosi would like to come to Asia, I think it’s her freedom to do so,” Mr Kono said after giving a keynote address at the same Taipei event, the Ketagalan Forum.

The Japanese politician — who lost the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership contest last year to Fumio Kishida — also called for Japan to be allowed to join the AUKUS trilateral pact, along with Australia, Britain and the US.

“Maybe we can make it JAUKUS,” he said.

Concern about Beijing’s menacing of Taiwan has risen since Russia invaded Ukraine, days after Mr Xi signed a “no limits” pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Kono said the UN’s failure to deal with that situation suggested it might be time for a “UN 2.0”.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen was unable to attend the forum. She was overseeing Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercises, signalling her government’s determination to resist any attack from Beijing.

Mr Andrews said Beijing needed to understand that “force will be resisted”, citing the counsel of the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

“They must recognise that Taiwan is the first chain of defence in the fight against the authoritarian CCP,” Mr Andrews said.

“If China was to invade Taiwan, the ramifications for the world, including Japan and Australia, are enormous. It must be clear that any attempted invasion of Taiwan will be resisted militarily by allied nations,” he said.

Mr Andrews was on his fifth visit to Taiwan. He first visited in 1991, early in Taiwan’s transition from a one party, authoritarian state to a vibrant democracy.

Christopher Pyne, another former Australian defence minister, will also speak at the forum.

The joint appearance of the former Liberal factional rivals — who are visiting Taiwan for a week-long trip — indicates the elevated concern in Australia about the threats to the democracy of 24 million.

Beijing reacts furiously to visits by senior Australian politicians to Taiwan, which it claims is a breach of Australia’s “One China” policy.

Opposition members and backbenchers have continued to visit, a demonstration of the strong unofficial ties between Taiwan and Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Taiwan on a parliamentary delegation in 2018. Three other Labor members who are now members of his cabinet also visited Taiwan in 2018 – Communications minister Michelle Rowland, Skills and Training minister Brendan O’Connor and Trade Minister Don Farrell.