A pending visit to Taiwan by five federal Members of Parliament to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony has angered Beijing.
After recent elections, Taiwan has a new president-elect, Lai Ching-te, regarded by Beijing as a supporter of the island’s independence, who will be inaugurated next week.
Coalition MPs Claire Chandler and Scott Buchholz intend to be at the ceremony, as do Labor MPs Raff Ciccone and Luke Gosling.
The Chinese Communist Party reiterated its claim over Taiwan immediately after Mr. Lai was elected in January.
The announcement of the four-day visit prompted the Chinese embassy in Canberra to warn Australia that Taiwan was “an inalienable part of China’s territory.”
Important Relationship
However, Senator Chandler emphasised the bipartisan nature of this and previous Australian parliamentary delegations visiting Taiwan.
She pointed to the importance of Australia’s relationship with the self-governed island nation, highlighting trade, investment, and cultural ties.
Taiwan is Australia’s seventh largest trading partner, and Australia is a main source of coal and natural gas imports for Taiwan.
Senator Ciccone claimed the trip was “entirely consistent with Australia’s one-China Policy.”
“The prime minister has already congratulated Dr. Lai Ching-te on his victory in the election and I look forward to celebrating the vibrancy of Taiwan’s democracy with the Taiwanese people at the inauguration of their new president,” he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) rejected Beijing’s “incorrect assertions.”
“These visits are consistent with Australia’s one-China policy and with past practice,” a spokesperson said. “Parliamentarians travelling to Taiwan do so in their individual capacities. Australia’s representative in Taipei will also attend the inauguration, consistent with past practice.”
Beijing Accused of Misrepresentation
Taiwan’s chief representative to Australia, Douglas Hsu, also said Beijing’s were “a deliberate attempt to misrepresent common diplomatic practice in terms of visits by foreign government officials to Taiwan.
“As [a] sovereign country, the Republic of China (Taiwan) has been widely recognised as a mature democracy,” Mr. Hsu said. “We encourage and welcome even more visits from democratically elected Australian representatives to Taiwan.”
Chapters of the Taiwanese Association of Australia will hold celebrations in several states, with Labor MP Daniel Mulino scheduled to make the opening remarks at the event in Melbourne.“It is appropriate for Australian MPs to acknowledge the successful conduct of an election and to congratulate the winner. This includes the recent election in Taiwan,” Mr. Mulino said, adding, “Democracy should not be taken for granted.”
