French Foreign Minister Colonna (2nd from right), French Defense Minister Lequenou (right), Australian Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian (2nd from left), and Australian Defense Minister Marles (left) held talks in Paris on the 30th.Figure: Flip Twitter
The diplomatic relations between France and Australia continued to be restored. The foreign ministers and defense ministers of the two countries met in Paris on the 30th under the framework of the “2+2 Ministerial Consultations” (Ministerial Consultations), and then announced the second France-Australia 2+2 after August 30, 2021. The joint statement strongly opposes China’s intimidation and destabilization by force, and reiterates that it not only supports Taiwan’s participation in the international community, but also will deepen relations with Taiwan. Compared with the first statement, the discussion of supporting Taiwan has been significantly upgraded.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Defense Minister Richard Marles stated in a joint statement on the 30th that the two sides will work together Cooperation, jointly support Taiwan’s participation in the international community, deepen relations with Taiwan, and reaffirm the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Article 24 of the statement reads: “Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense of France and Australia jointly emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and called for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue rather than threats, force or coercion.” We reiterate our opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo, and we promise to work together to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, under conditions consistent with the rules and regulations of the international organization’s charter. We also reiterate that we will continue to deepen relations with Taiwan in the fields of economy, technology, trade, technology, and culture.” .
Article 23 of the statement states that France and Australia “strongly oppose” intimidation and destabilization in the South China Sea, including the “militarization of disputed projects”. “The minister stressed the importance of continued cooperation to support the exercise of rights and freedoms by nations in the South China Sea, consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), including freedom of navigation and overflight.”
The four ministers of France and Australia also reiterated in this article that the two countries will continue to send and deploy military forces in the Indo-Pacific region under the premise of complying with international law. The joint statement of France and Australia’s first 2+2 meeting in 2021 emphasized the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait and expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. difference.
Compared with the first statement, this time the support for Taiwan has been upgraded. There are three new arguments: First, France and Australia specifically called on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to “peacefully resolve issues through dialogue, rather than threats, force or coercive means.” Second, it expresses its opposition to “unilateral change of the status quo”; third, it positively emphasizes that it will continue to deepen relations with Taiwan in the fields of economy, technology, trade, technology and culture, which is not in the 2021 version.
In addition, Article 23 expresses “strong opposition” to any coercive or destabilizing actions in the South China Sea, while the statement of the first consultation meeting in 2021 used “serious concerns”. In contrast, the tone of this statement is firmer and clearer. The statement on the 30th continued the previous content, reiterating serious concerns about the human rights violations of the Uyghurs; it also expressed concern about the continued erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy, rights and freedoms.