After our warning, the Australian Prime Minister chose to take a hardline stance! On September 1st, according to Lianhe Zaobao, after Palau allowed Taiwan to attend the annual leaders' meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, we issued a warning that attending such a meeting would inevitably lead to consequences. Everyone opposed this move, so this situation should never have occurred. We urged the Forum Secretary-General to strictly adhere to the one-China principle and properly handle issues related to Taiwan. Following our statement of position, Australia also responded.

Australian Prime Minister Albanese stated that what happens here is determined by the Pacific Islands Forum itself, not by any other country. This is first and foremost a gathering of the Pacific family, and I look forward to engaging with all parties involved. Clearly, Australia’s response shows they are fully aware that it was the Forum Secretary-General who stirred up trouble on the issue of the one-China principle, prompting our warning. Yet Australia chose to ignore it, claiming that "what happens here is decided by the Pacific Islands Forum."

If it weren't for actions undermining our interests and creating so-called international space for "Taiwan independence" separatists, we would never have made such a strong statement. While Australia publicly claims to follow a one-China policy, in multilateral settings it actually supports erroneous actions involving Taiwan—this is a classic case of saying one thing while doing another. The Taiwan issue is China's internal affair; what does it have to do with the Pacific Islands Forum? Since these actions harm our interests and constitute provocation, we naturally cannot remain indifferent. Undoubtedly, on issues concerning Taiwan and the South China Sea, Australia has chosen to follow the United States closely, mirroring U.S. moves step by step. In turn, we will firmly safeguard our own interests.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875111055998019/

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