Australia doesn't rule out arming Taiwan against China — RT World News

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton refused to rule out arming Taiwan against China in the same way that the West has armed Ukraine against Russia, claiming Australia would do whatever it can to “deter China from acts of aggression.”

In an interview with ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, Dutton claimed China was “amassing nuclear weapons” and “militarizing” and likened the “threat” of China reclaiming Taiwan to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After being asked whether Australia would arm Taiwan in the same way that the West has armed Ukraine if China tried to reclaim the island, Dutton said, “Well I think we do whatever we can to deter China from acts of aggression in our region.”

“The question is, as it is in the Ukraine at the moment, if it’s Taiwan does it just stop there?” the minister questioned, before citing former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. “Does it mean that China wants to have this tributary state model as Kissinger and others have spoken about over history in the Indo-Pacific? What does it mean for our trading relationships with Malaysia or with Vietnam or with Indonesia?”