Australian lawmaker visiting Taiwan broaches sensitive topic of security co-op

A senior Australian opposition party lawmaker broached the sensitive subject of security cooperation with Taiwan during a meeting on Monday with President Tsai Ing-wen, saying both sides have a vested interest in maintaining regional stability.
Australia, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with China-claimed Taiwan, but has watched with growing concern, as have other major U.S. allies, Beijing using military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over the democratically-governed island.
Meeting Tsai in the presidential office in Taipei, Andrew Wallace, deputy chair of Australia’s Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, said that in an ever-changing geopolitical landscape, security cooperation was “paramount”.
“Taiwan and Australia both recognise the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Our partnership, our strategic partnership, contributes significantly to regional security,” he said.