Australian Prime Minister: "China Must Learn from Putin's 'Strategic Failure'"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned China to learn from Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'strategic failure' ahead of his attendance at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit. This statement is interpreted as a caution against the possibility of China invading Taiwan following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On the 28th, while heading to Madrid, Spain, where the NATO summit was held, Prime Minister Albanese said in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, "In part, Russia's invasion of Ukraine can be seen as a strategic failure, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has become an opportunity for democratic countries to unite regardless of NATO membership," emphasizing, "China should learn from Putin's strategic failure."

When asked what message China, which is targeting Taiwan, should take from the Ukraine war, he evaluated, "This war shows that attempts to change a sovereign country by force inevitably face resistance," adding, "It also united the determination of countries sharing common values and their commitment to norms based on the international order."

Australia was invited to this NATO summit as an Asia-Pacific partner country along with South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand. Bloomberg News interpreted Prime Minister Albanese's remarks as a warning against China's moves to strengthen military and diplomatic pressure to incorporate Taiwan into the mainland, not recognizing Taiwan as an independent country under the 'One China' principle.