‘The stakes are high’: Australia urged to do more to avoid China-Taiwan conflict

WA Today
Date: February 25, 2020
By: Anthony Galloway

Australia has been urged to take a lead role in calming hostilities between China and Taiwan, with a think tank warning a major conflict in the region could trigger an Australian recession.

In a paper for the Lowy Institute, Asia-Pacific security expert Brendan Taylor said if key regional governments such as Australia failed to help de-escalate tensions, the consequences were "likely to be serious".

He said "lying low" was no longer an acceptable policy for Canberra as an all-out conflict between China and Taiwan would inflict serious damage on Australia's economy and security.

"The stakes for Canberra are high," the paper said, noting Taiwan was a critical link in global supply chains as a provider of advanced manufacturing, and some of Australia's largest trading partners – China, Japan and South Korea – were close by.    [FULL  STORY]