“We have no alliance with Taipei, there’s no piece of paper sitting in Canberra which has an alliance with Taipei, we do not recognise it as a sovereign state – we’ve always seen it as a part of China” – Paul Keating at the National Press Club on Nov 10, 2021.
We published here this excellent radio program (with full transcript) about China and Taiwan. Bevan Ramsden and Andrew Fullarton from Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) examine the policy of the US and Australia concerning Taiwan. John Lander made contributions to this program. John Lander is a former Deputy Ambassador to China (1974-76); former Ambassador to Iran (1985–88).As Director of the China Section of DFAT on three separate occasions over a 30 years career, he personally negotiated China Consular Relations, and helped develop a mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.
In the podcast we include Australia in the Middle by John Curr.
Comment: For the better part of my life Australian land owners, pulpit politicians, state and federal MPs and media pundits have traded on ‘the yellow peril’. However China produces most of the world’s cheap goods. They do so by exploiting workers whom they dug out of poverty. The United States and Europe do not produce cheap goods, they exploit workers and the poor but the standard of living of the middle class is higher in those countries. What sane capitalist would want a war with China? – Ian Curr, Ed., 15 June 2023.
Summary
Foreign policy must change course. (0:00)
The Australia n government must change course in foreign policy.
Our citizens attitude is leaving the field open.
The PRC claims Taiwan. (1:19)
China claims Taiwan as its territory.
China is seeking to extend its economic and diplomatic influence.
If the united states goes to war with China, (4:23)
The Australia n government must backpedal on AUKUS and wind down militarization.
No one benefits from nuclear war.
Australia must plead with the united states and China.
The need for international rules-based order.
United States drone strikes kill scores of civilians. (7:56)
US has been conducting drone strikes in Yemen for the last 16 years.
Australia n officials
A man’s death service angel.
Baking thoughts, a secret base in spring.
The pain inside him came with tears and no innocence.
Bevan Ramsden and Andrew Fullarton.
The return of Taiwan to the Republic of China. (14:14)
Understanding the China Taiwan situation.
How the united nations reacted to the communist victory.
Is China a military threat to Australia ? (17:12)
China is not a threat to Australia .
China has not expanded its territory.
China has not forgotten the century of humiliation it’s suffered.
China is no military threat to Australia .
What is the official policy of the US towards China and Taiwan? (21:41)
Official policy of the United States towards China and Taiwan.
Australia ‘s policy on China.
The Australian government does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state.
China’s internal affair.
Voice of the people by. (26:42)
Program: A war that cannot be won and must not be fought
‘Australia in the Middle‘ by John Curr
Drone Lament by Franz Dowing
China and Taiwan
Bevan Ramsden and Andrew Fullarton from IPAN examine the policy of the US and Australia concerning Taiwan. John Lander made contributions to this program. John Lander is a former Deputy Ambassador to China (1974-76); former Ambassador to Iran (1985–88). As Director of the China Section of DFAT on three separate occasions over a 30 years career, he personally negotiated China Consular Relations, and helped develop a mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.
Satellites by Jumping Fences.
Introduction. (0:09)
Introduction of John lander, Australia’s deputy ambassador to China.
The return of Taiwan to the republic of China. (1:41)
Understanding the China Taiwan situation.
How the United States reacted to the communist victory.
Taiwan is a province of all China. (3:12)
Tibet Xinjian Hong Kong and Taiwan.
China has one overseas military base in Djibouti. (5:52)
China has one overseas military base and anti-piracy operation.
China is no military threat to Australia.
Official policy of the United States towards China and Taiwan. (9:08)
Australia’s one China policy.
Australia’s official policy on relations between China and Taiwan. (12:27).
Full transcript
Radio Program for CICD’s Alternative News broadcast on 3CR- May 2023.
China and Taiwan
(Music)
ANDREW 1: Good morning listeners. My name’s Andrew and with me is Bevan Ramsden. We’re from IPAN, the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network. In today’s CICD Alternative News we examine the policy of the US and Australia regarding China and Taiwan. We seek to counter the misinformation and warmongering hysteria emanating from the corporate media and certain politicians, in which China is portrayed as a military threat and which seeks to build public support for a war to weaken China economically and maintain US economic and military dominance in the region and world-wide.Today’s program is authored entirely by ourselves and does not at present represent endorsed IPAN policy.John Lander, who was Australia’s Deputy Ambassador to China from 1974 to 1976 and Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs China Section on three separate occasions over a period of 30 years, has also made contributions to today’s program, based on his personal involvement in negotiations for the recognition of the People’s Republic of China and the subsequent development of Australia-China relations.
BEVAN 1: To understand the China-Taiwan situation we need to go back to the 1940’s. Following Japan’s defeat in 1945 and withdrawal of its military forces from China, the Japanese-occupied island of Taiwan was formally returned to The Republic of Chinaunder the provisions of the Cairo and Potsdam declarations.
The civil war between Mao Zedong’s Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and the US-supported Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) forces under Chiang Kaishek, which had hampered resistance to the Japanese invasion during World War 2, then came to a head.
In 1949 the PLA was victorious and Chiang Kai-shek’s KMT forces transferred the ROC government to Taiwan. In October 1949 Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China with its capital in Beijing, forming the government which has ruled China ever since.
ANDREW 2: How did the US react to the communist victory?
BEVAN 2: The US supported the KMT in Taiwan against attempts by the Chinese PRC government to bring the island under its control. The ROC government on Taiwan claimed it was the government of all China, a position it still officially maintains. On 25 October 1971 the United Nations passed resolution 2758 recognising the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and removed “the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek”, referring to the ROC, from the United Nations.
ANDREW 3: The PRC has consistently said that it intends to normalise its relationship with Taiwan by peaceful means over the long term, under the policy of “One China -Two Systems” and with Taiwan having the status of an autonomous region with full internal self-government. The PRC insists that Taiwan is a province of China, a position recognized by all but a handful of national governments, and it reserves the right to resist, by military means if necessary, all attempts to make Taiwan a separate national entity.
(Music)
BEVAN 3: The corporate media harps constantly that China is a threat to Australia and the region, that it is expansionist, aggressive and a threat to what the US calls the rules-based order. Andrew, do any facts support this assertion?
ANDREW 4: For over a thousand years, China has not expanded its territory and has lived peacefully with its near and distant neighbours, with whom it has mutually beneficial trading relationships. China had a brief border conflict with Vietnam in 1979 and a similarly brief border war with India, and in both cases a settlement was reached. Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and especially Taiwan are repeatedly cited as evidence of Chinese aggressive intent, an assertion which ignores the fact that these are all integral parts of China and that it is therefore justified in acting to quell efforts to destabilise them and undermine its sovereignty.
BEVAN 4: China has one overseas military base, an anti-piracy operation in Djibouti at the entrance to the Red Sea which ironically co-ordinates with a US counterpart base in the same area. It has established military installations on reefs and islands to which it lays claim in the South China Sea, as have the other littoral countries which lay claim to parts of this waterway. China forcibly repelled Philippine fishing vessels from waters close to its military installations but has since reached understandings with all claimant countries, including the Philippines, that competing claims should be resolved through bilateral discussions between affected parties.
ANDREW 5: Although the US and its minions characterise these Chinese South China Sea bases as evidence of China’s expansionist ambitions, China has made it clear that they are a defensive measure against the arc of US military bases confronting China and stretching from Japan to Malaysia and Australia. China has not forgotten the century of humiliation it suffered at the hands of western powers and, having now become a major economic power, demands that it be respected and allowed to play a role as part of a multi-polar world.
BEVAN 5: It seems that the US, until recently the dominant world economic power, feels threatened by China’s rise and aims to confront and contain it in order to maintain US dominance and prevent China becoming an alternative to US and UK control of world finance. This is the reason for the endlessly repeated assertions by western politicians and the corporate media that China is a military threat.
ANDREW 6: China is no military threat to Australia and the two countries have long enjoyed a mutually beneficial trading partnership. The threat Australia faces stems precisely from the fact that the US-Australia military alliance has resulted in Australia becoming a vital forward base for the US military and that, in the event of war between the US and China, US bases on Australian soil will inevitably become targets for Chinese retaliatory strikes. The obvious way for Australia to avoid this danger is to keep out of a US-China war by ceasing to slavishly follow US foreign policy and to remove US military bases from our soil.
(Music)
BEVAN 6: Andrew, what is the official policy of the US towards China and Taiwan?
ANDREW 7: In 1979, the US recognised the People’s Republic of China, ended its recognition of the Republic of China and stated that the government of the PRC was the ‘sole legal Government of China’. By referring to the government of the PRC as the ‘sole legal government of China’, the US agreed that there is only one China and that the ROC is not a separate sovereign entity. The US acknowledged the Chinese position that Taiwan is a part of China, a policy that remains unchanged to this day.
BEVAN 7: However, the US is playing a double game. In 1979 it passed the Taiwan Relations Act to protect the significant US security and commercial interests in Taiwan. It also made commitments regarding Taiwan’s security and empowered Congress to oversee various aspects of US-Taiwan policy. Contradicting its official position on China, the US has encouraged an independence movement in Taiwan, provides its government with billions of dollars worth of military hardware and seeks to create a public perception that Taiwan is an independent nation threatened by China.
ANDREW 8: Let’s examineAustralia’s policy towards China and Taiwan, which changed fundamentally when the Whitlam ALP Government was elected in 1972.
BEVAN 8: The Australian Government established diplomatic relations with the PRC in late 1972. It issued a Joint Communiqué with the PRC which recognised the Government of the PRC as China’s sole legal government. It acknowledged the position of the PRC that Taiwan is a province of China, severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and discontinued all official dealings with it. The Joint Communiqué sets out the fundamental basis of Australia’s one China policy. The Australian Government does not recognise the ROC as a sovereign state and does not regard the authorities in Taiwan as having the status of a national government. Dealings between Australia and Taiwan, therefore, take place unofficially.
(Music)
ANDREW 9: Bevan, what should Australia do in this situation? Should we follow the US as it interferes in China’s relationship with Taiwan and even join the US in a war with China? Australia’s official policy on China and Taiwan makes it clear that this issue is China’s internal affair and is none of our business.
BEVAN 9: That’s right. The Australian government’s official policy on relations between China and its Taiwan province means that we should keep out of this dispute. Our government could urge a peaceful and mutually beneficial resolution of the issue but that is as far as it should go.
ANDREW 10: Despite this, successive governments have supported the US policy of containing and confronting China in the South China Sea and elsewhere.
BEVAN 10: And successive Australian governments have allowed the US to establish military bases in Australia crucial for US war operations, a situation which continues with the 2014 Force Posture Agreement and the 2021 AUKUS pact
ANDREW 11: It’s very clear that the best interests of the Australian people can only be served by the Australian government adopting an independent foreign policy and declaring that Australia, its territory and its military forces will not be involved in a war against China and that its spending priorities will instead be directed to urgent social needs such as public housing, climate change mitigation, public health and education.
That’s the end of today’s program. As usual we welcome listener’s comments and suggestions, which can be emailed to peacecentre@cicd.org.au; that is peacecentre@cicd.org.au. Good morning and thanks for listening.
(Music)
Full transcript
Radio Program for CICD’s Alternative News broadcast on 3CR- May 2023.
China and Taiwan
(Music)
ANDREW 1: Good morning listeners. My name’s Andrew and with me is Bevan Ramsden. We’re from IPAN, the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network. In today’s CICD Alternative News we examine the policy of the US and Australia regarding China and Taiwan. We seek to counter the misinformation and warmongering hysteria emanating from the corporate media and certain politicians, in which China is portrayed as a military threat and which seeks to build public support for a war to weaken China economically and maintain US economic and military dominance in the region and world-wide.Today’s program is authored entirely by ourselves and does not at present represent endorsed IPAN policy.John Lander, who was Australia’s Deputy Ambassador to China from 1974 to 1976 and Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs China Section on three separate occasions over a period of 30 years, has also made contributions to today’s program, based on his personal involvement in negotiations for the recognition of the People’s Republic of China and the subsequent development of Australia-China relations.
BEVAN 1: To understand the China-Taiwan situation we need to go back to the 1940’s. Following Japan’s defeat in 1945 and withdrawal of its military forces from China, the Japanese-occupied island of Taiwan was formally returned to The Republic of Chinaunder the provisions of the Cairo and Potsdam declarations.
The civil war between Mao Zedong’s Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and the US-supported Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) forces under Chiang Kaishek, which had hampered resistance to the Japanese invasion during World War 2, then came to a head.
In 1949 the PLA was victorious and Chiang Kai-shek’s KMT forces transferred the ROC government to Taiwan. In October 1949 Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China with its capital in Beijing, forming the government which has ruled China ever since.
ANDREW 2: How did the US react to the communist victory?
BEVAN 2: The US supported the KMT in Taiwan against attempts by the Chinese PRC government to bring the island under its control. The ROC government on Taiwan claimed it was the government of all China, a position it still officially maintains. On 25 October 1971 the United Nations passed resolution 2758 recognising the People’s Republic of China as “the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations” and removed “the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek”, referring to the ROC, from the United Nations.
ANDREW 3: The PRC has consistently said that it intends to normalise its relationship with Taiwan by peaceful means over the long term, under the policy of “One China -Two Systems” and with Taiwan having the status of an autonomous region with full internal self-government. The PRC insists that Taiwan is a province of China, a position recognized by all but a handful of national governments, and it reserves the right to resist, by military means if necessary, all attempts to make Taiwan a separate national entity.
(Music)
BEVAN 3: The corporate media harps constantly that China is a threat to Australia and the region, that it is expansionist, aggressive and a threat to what the US calls the rules-based order. Andrew, do any facts support this assertion?
ANDREW 4: For over a thousand years, China has not expanded its territory and has lived peacefully with its near and distant neighbours, with whom it has mutually beneficial trading relationships. China had a brief border conflict with Vietnam in 1979 and a similarly brief border war with India, and in both cases a settlement was reached. Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and especially Taiwan are repeatedly cited as evidence of Chinese aggressive intent, an assertion which ignores the fact that these are all integral parts of China and that it is therefore justified in acting to quell efforts to destabilise them and undermine its sovereignty.
BEVAN 4: China has one overseas military base, an anti-piracy operation in Djibouti at the entrance to the Red Sea which ironically co-ordinates with a US counterpart base in the same area. It has established military installations on reefs and islands to which it lays claim in the South China Sea, as have the other littoral countries which lay claim to parts of this waterway. China forcibly repelled Philippine fishing vessels from waters close to its military installations but has since reached understandings with all claimant countries, including the Philippines, that competing claims should be resolved through bilateral discussions between affected parties.
ANDREW 5: Although the US and its minions characterise these Chinese South China Sea bases as evidence of China’s expansionist ambitions, China has made it clear that they are a defensive measure against the arc of US military bases confronting China and stretching from Japan to Malaysia and Australia. China has not forgotten the century of humiliation it suffered at the hands of western powers and, having now become a major economic power, demands that it be respected and allowed to play a role as part of a multi-polar world.
BEVAN 5: It seems that the US, until recently the dominant world economic power, feels threatened by China’s rise and aims to confront and contain it in order to maintain US dominance and prevent China becoming an alternative to US and UK control of world finance. This is the reason for the endlessly repeated assertions by western politicians and the corporate media that China is a military threat.
ANDREW 6: China is no military threat to Australia and the two countries have long enjoyed a mutually beneficial trading partnership. The threat Australia faces stems precisely from the fact that the US-Australia military alliance has resulted in Australia becoming a vital forward base for the US military and that, in the event of war between the US and China, US bases on Australian soil will inevitably become targets for Chinese retaliatory strikes. The obvious way for Australia to avoid this danger is to keep out of a US-China war by ceasing to slavishly follow US foreign policy and to remove US military bases from our soil.
(Music)
BEVAN 6: Andrew, what is the official policy of the US towards China and Taiwan?
ANDREW 7: In 1979, the US recognised the People’s Republic of China, ended its recognition of the Republic of China and stated that the government of the PRC was the ‘sole legal Government of China’. By referring to the government of the PRC as the ‘sole legal government of China’, the US agreed that there is only one China and that the ROC is not a separate sovereign entity. The US acknowledged the Chinese position that Taiwan is a part of China, a policy that remains unchanged to this day.
BEVAN 7: However, the US is playing a double game. In 1979 it passed the Taiwan Relations Act to protect the significant US security and commercial interests in Taiwan. It also made commitments regarding Taiwan’s security and empowered Congress to oversee various aspects of US-Taiwan policy. Contradicting its official position on China, the US has encouraged an independence movement in Taiwan, provides its government with billions of dollars worth of military hardware and seeks to create a public perception that Taiwan is an independent nation threatened by China.
ANDREW 8: Let’s examineAustralia’s policy towards China and Taiwan, which changed fundamentally when the Whitlam ALP Government was elected in 1972.
BEVAN 8: The Australian Government established diplomatic relations with the PRC in late 1972. It issued a Joint Communiqué with the PRC which recognised the Government of the PRC as China’s sole legal government. It acknowledged the position of the PRC that Taiwan is a province of China, severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and discontinued all official dealings with it. The Joint Communiqué sets out the fundamental basis of Australia’s one China policy. The Australian Government does not recognise the ROC as a sovereign state and does not regard the authorities in Taiwan as having the status of a national government. Dealings between Australia and Taiwan, therefore, take place unofficially.
(Music)
ANDREW 9: Bevan, what should Australia do in this situation? Should we follow the US as it interferes in China’s relationship with Taiwan and even join the US in a war with China? Australia’s official policy on China and Taiwan makes it clear that this issue is China’s internal affair and is none of our business.
BEVAN 9: That’s right. The Australian government’s official policy on relations between China and its Taiwan province means that we should keep out of this dispute. Our government could urge a peaceful and mutually beneficial resolution of the issue but that is as far as it should go.
ANDREW 10: Despite this, successive governments have supported the US policy of containing and confronting China in the South China Sea and elsewhere.
BEVAN 10: And successive Australian governments have allowed the US to establish military bases in Australia crucial for US war operations, a situation which continues with the 2014 Force Posture Agreement and the 2021 AUKUS pact
ANDREW 11: It’s very clear that the best interests of the Australian people can only be served by the Australian government adopting an independent foreign policy and declaring that Australia, its territory and its military forces will not be involved in a war against China and that its spending priorities will instead be directed to urgent social needs such as public housing, climate change mitigation, public health and education.
That’s the end of today’s program. As usual we welcome listener’s comments and suggestions, which can be emailed to peacecentre@cicd.org.au; that is peacecentre@cicd.org.au. Good morning and thanks for listening.
(Music)