Australia must accelerate its efforts to build a military strike capability before nuclear submarines are ready for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, said Australia’s shadow Defense Minister Andrew Hasty.
and speech At the Business News Politics and Policy Breakfast in Perth on 2 November, Hastie called for “building and maintaining a strong deterrent against any unilateral military adventurism” by regional aggressors. I asked the country to do it.
Hastie said former Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Phil Davidson warned 18 months ago that China could try to take Taiwan by force within six years by 2027.
He also noted that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently said that Beijing intends to oppose Taiwan on a “much faster timeline.”
“In recent years, there has been a change in the approach from Beijing to Taiwan,” Blinken said at the Oct. 17 event. Co-sponsored by the Hoover Institution and Stanford University.
“Instead of sticking to the established status quo in a positive way, the fundamental decision was that the status quo was no longer acceptable, and Beijing decided to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline.”
US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday also warned last week that China could take action against Taiwan by 2024.
Hastie said these warnings were “words to be considered” and that Australia “must be taken seriously”.
“The windows are closing rapidly,” he said. “We will not have nuclear submarines underwater by 2027. So how can we avoid the risk of conflict sooner or later?”
“Russia has brutally seized parts of Ukraine. Chinese rockets have crossed the skies of Taiwan. ‘It’s captured the hearts of people,’ said Hastie.
“The security pact between Sogavare (Prime Minister of Solomon Islands) and Beijing makes it alarming that geopolitical strife is escalating on our doorstep.”
Faced with the current international situation, Hastie said Australia needs to be prepared to invest in bombers and spend “well over” 2% of GDP on defense, sending young people to the Australian Defense Force (ADF). asked to adopt and build. stronger army.
“We need to build offensive capabilities that can endanger our adversaries across the archipelago and to the north. Strike bombers; precision-guided missiles; Told.
According to Hastie, the Albanian government has promised the former coalition government to increase the size of the ADF to 18,500 by 2040, which will be a “massive task.”
The shadow defense minister believes the key to attracting Generation Z and young Generation Alpha to the ADF is to emphasize “service, duty, honor and country.”
“We owe the Australian people a moral obligation to build and maintain a strong deterrent against aggressors in our region,” he said. “To show that one-sided military adventurism comes at a high price.”
“It’s simply responsible national security and what Australians expect.”
The comment comes after a new poll showed 46% of Australians believe their country should send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of an armed attack by Beijing. that was sent.
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