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Taiwan wants Australian military attache in Taipei

By AAP Newswire

Jun 26, 2023

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. — Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu says he wants Australia to post a military attache to Taipei. -EPA

Canberra should install a military attache in its Australian office in Taipei to help the two nations work together to prevent "the worst from happening" amid sustained threats from China, Taiwan's foreign minister says.

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President Tsai Ing-wen's government wants Canberra to station a military officer in its de facto embassy in Taipei to liaise with Taiwanese security agencies, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has told The Australian.

He said countries including the United States, Japan and Singapore had done so for decades.

"I think it is very important when the Australian government is paying so much more attention to the regional security issues for the two countries to be able to share their observations, their assessment of the situation," he said in Taipei.

"I know the Australian Office over here has started speaking with our security agencies, and that kind of development is very important."

Mr Wu said it showed the Australian government attached great importance to speaking with Taiwanese security officials "to understand our perspectives on how to prevent the worst from happening".

Mr Wu said the Taiwanese government also wanted to put a military attache in Taipei's de facto embassy in Canberra.

Australia adheres to a "One China" policy that does not recognise Taiwan as a country but maintains informal ties with officials in Taipei.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press