Australian PM Stops Short of Endorsing Pelosi's Taiwan Visit as He Calls for 'De-Escalation'

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew out of Taiwan on Wednesday, after holding a meeting with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-Wen. Pelosi stated that the US would not “abandon (its) commitment to Taiwan,” which she described among the world’s “freest democracies.”

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to endorse US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, and is calling for the “de-escalating” of current tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

"The level of US engagement with their Taiwanese counterparts is a matter for them," Albanese said during a press conference on Wednesday, while responding to a pointed question if Canberra supported Pelosi.

Albanese reaffirmed his government’s commitment to the "One China Policy," saying at the same time that Canberra didn’t support “any unilateral change to the status quo” with regards to the political status of Taiwan.

“And we'll continue to work with partners to promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Albanese stated.

The response by the Australian Prime Minister came as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) holds “live fire” and conventional missile drills in six areas around Taiwan in the wake of Pelosi’s surprise visit to the island, which marked the highest-level trip by an elected American official to Taipei in 25 years.

Beijing has warned the US and the “Taiwan independence separatist forces” of “consequences” that will follow Pelosi's visit.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the Chinese government agency dealing with ties with Taipei, has imposed sanctions on organizations and individuals who are backing “Taiwan independence” forces.

The agency also announced an import ban on certain Taiwanese food products as well as on the export of natural sand from China, as per state media.

Australian FM Ducks Question on if Canberra Would Back US

Foreign minister Penny Wong said that she won’t respond to “hypotheticals”, when asked during an interview if Canberra would back Washington in case the current cross-strait tensions escalate into a “conflict”.

“Well, look, I'm not going to be drawn onto hypotheticals about what actually would be in relation to ANZUS - I don't think that's appropriate,” Wong told ABC.

The 1951-era Australia New Zealand US (ANZUS) Treaty is a collective security agreement advancing military cooperation between the three governments in the Pacific region. Canberra is also a party of the US-led 'Quad' grouping, also involving India and Japan, an ally in the Five Eyes (FVEY) intelligence sharing network, which comprises Australia, US, UK, Canada and New Zealand.

Last September, Australia also entered into the AUKUS pact with US and UK. Under AUKUS, the US and UK will supply technology to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to help it develop advanced nuclear submarines (SSNs).

Wong also said that both the US and China should work towards “de-escalating tensions” and maintain “peace and stability” across the Taiwan strait.

The foreign minister expressed concern over the deployment of military hardware in the region, against the backdrop of large-scale Chinese combat drills and counter-deployments of naval and aerial assets by Washington.

Wong wouldn’t give a clear-cut response to a question it were a “folly” on part of the US to ignore Beijing’s previous warnings advising Pelosi against going ahead with the Taipei visit.

“I think we've seen a lot of rhetoric. We've seen a lot of things said. I note that the US Administration, the Biden Administration, has continued to be clear that it adheres to previous commitments made between the US and China historically,” the top Australian diplomat said.