Taiwan wants spot in Talisman Sabre as China ramps up war drills

Taiwan has made a huge request of Australia and its allies as tensions remain high over China’s combat readiness war games.

Taiwan is pushing for involvement in major military exercises with Australia and its allies, amid mounting fears of an invasion by China.

Tension remains high across the Taiwan Strait as China continues combat readiness war games and the US turns its attention to a conflict it says could be imminent.

The US has reportedly been pressing the federal government to reveal Australia’s position should conflict arise in the South China Sea – which would disrupt shipping channels and the supply of semiconductors across the globe.

Key to Taiwan’s security, its government officials say, is military deterrent and iron-clad defence commitments from the US and its backers.

Deputy Minister for Mainland Affairs Liang Wen-Chieh told News Corp Australia in Taipei the democratic government of Taiwan wanted involvement in allied military exercises.

“We hope Taiwan can have the opportunity to participate in the joint military drills of the US, Australia, the Philippines and Japan,” he said.

“Even as an observer this participation will be valuable.”

Mr Liang acknowledged, however, training alongside Western allies alone would not prevent an invasion.

Deputy Minister for Mainland Affairs Liang Wen-Chieh

“At the moment we do not think that the participation will be enough to deter China,” he said.

Taiwan will increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP and bolster capabilities to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping he could not conquer the island before allied help arrives.

“The dominant aspect for determining whether China will use force against Taiwan is their calculation on whether they can secure a victory rapidly and that is before the interference from the US,” Mr Liang said.

“If China thinks this way there is a high possibility that there would be a war.”

Taiwan has not been involved in high-level joint military exercises with Australia or other allied countries.

In northern Australia 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations are now engaged in war-fighting exercises as part of the largest and most sophisticated iteration of Talisman Sabre.

Forces from the US, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and the UK are involved as partners, while Malaysia and Vietnam are attending as observers.

An Australian Army National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) from the 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery firing an AIM-120 missile during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 at Bradfield Training Area south of Darwin.

Australia’s position on Taiwan and its relationship with China versus the US was in focus during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese six-day visit to China this month, which included meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

While the mission focused on strengthening trade, tourism and investment ties, Mr Albanese was repeatedly peppered with questions about China’s military intentions and how Australia would respond to conflict in Taiwan.

Mr Albanese said Australia was focused on advancing peace and security in our region.

“We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan,” he said.

“We don’t support any unilateral action there. We have a clear position, and we have been consistent about that.”

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung said Australia’s flag was displayed prominently in the lobby of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei as one of the countries with similar values.

He said China’s threats to freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, coupled with the militarisation of remote islands, destabilised the region.

“The Chinese Communist Party is trying to create a new normal,” he said.

“It’s like a frog in a boiling pot.”

A Royal Australian Air Force EA-18G Growler takes on fuel, whilst a United States Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II flies in formation with a Royal Air Force Voyager over the Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.

Mr Lin said China’s conquering of Taiwan would then allow it to bring conflict into the Pacific for the first time since World War II.

China’s People’s Liberation Army has intensified its war drills around Taiwan this year.

Recently 18 Chinese military aircraft breached Taiwan’s airspace as part of a 27-plane and drone combat readiness operation, the Ministry of Defence said.

Experts fear China, before invading, will launch a “grey war” to dismantle Taiwan’s critical energy and internet infrastructure and blockade the island.

Any conflict could wreak havoc on the global economy, with Taiwan providing 60 per cent of the world’s semiconductors – used in all modern electronic devices.

Fear that China could stop the supply of critical minerals used to build semiconductor chips has also prompted Taiwan to diversify, including to Australia.

Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research analyst Yu-Shung Wang said striking critical minerals deals with democratically-aligned countries was one of Taiwan’s priorities.

“We still have no agreement for co-operation with Australia,” he said.

“It might be one of the items we can support in the future.”

Hayden Johnson travelled to Taiwan as a guest of the Taiwanese Government

Australian Army officers and soldiers attached to the Australian Amphibious Force - Amphibious Task Group 1 (ATG-1) participate in wet and dry environmental rehearsals (WADER) during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 in the Cowley Beach Training Area, Queensland.

Originally published as Taiwan wants spot in Talisman Sabre as China ramps up war drills