Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce believes Beijing will not engage in outright conflict with Taiwan because it would be “too stupid.”
Joyce made the comments after returning from a visit to Taiwan with a bipartisan delegation consisting of Labor, Liberal, and Nationals MPs.
“China and Taiwan, I believe, are unlikely to come to a conflict. It is too stupid and they are not stupid. China instead will try to assert its power incrementally,” he wrote in The Australian.
The Nationals MP added that he believes the Chinese regime would play a “much longer game,” and said that in addition to military power, economic strength was also extremely important.
It comes after Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles met their U.S. counterparts in Washington D.C., signalling they would increase Australian-U.S. defence cooperation to counter the growing threat of Beijing.
The AUKUS alliance nations have made efforts to create a pathway that would support Australia to obtain nuclear submarines and domestic manufacturing capabilities as soon as possible.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States would “not allow Australia to have a capability gap going forward.”
However, Joyce believes Australia should focus more on plugging its education rather than military gaps in order to elevate the country’s economic strength.
Australia’s economic strength stems from strong resources, including coal, iron ore, gas, and agriculture, while Joyce noted that for Taiwan, their source was “IQ.”
“Would it not be wonderful if instead [Australia’s] scientists were leading in groundbreaking, world-changing technology such as small modular reactors, or smaller microreactors? This is the strength of Asia, focusing on the cutting edge of super smart,” he said.
Joyce highlighted that Australian schools should aim to produce the best students in STEM fields and teach students so they leave high school with better proficiency at English than Singaporeans.
“[Asian countries] waste little energy and have less time for those who want to be belligerents outside the guide rails,” he said. “We are so concerned with trying to make everyone happy we create the all-inclusive culture that leaves us all behind.”
Industries Concerned For Future
The mining industry has previously signalled its concern with the deteriorating level of maths and science that student cohorts are displaying.
In 2021, Tania Constable, CEO of the Mineral Council of Australia, said the future of the industry would be at risk without the “best and brightest” students.
“Encouraging primary and secondary students to learn about the mining industry and the science behind the formation of the earth, water systems and climate is an important building block for the skills pipeline feeding one of Australia’s largest industries,” she said.
“Students should also be exposed to core foundational mathematics across primary, secondary and senior secondary studies for successful participation in STEM pathways.”
She added that the skills required in mining also complemented those needed in other important resource sectors, such as agriculture, advanced manufacturing, construction, and defence.
The Actuaries Institute also voiced concerns at the falling number of students who place importance in maths.
Elayne Grace, CEO of the Actuaries Institute, said actuaries depend on the development of deep maths skills to work across a broad range of industries (pdf).
“Effective maths education is vital for young Australians to help them confidently apply maths to everyday tasks and to create high level capabilities that support the growth of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industries in Australia,” Martin Mulcare said.
Australian Politicians Dismisses Beijing Accusation
Six backbenchers, including Joyce, visited Taiwan on Dec. 5 for the first high-level talks since 2019.
An editorial by the Chinese state-run mouthpiece, the Global Times, accused Australia of “playing with fire” and undermining efforts to repair Australia-China relations.
But Joyce dismissed the comments and said Australia wanted to make sure it was close to both mainland China and Taiwan.
“We have a strong economic reason to be close to the island of Taiwan, and we want to make sure that we maintain that connection,” he told Sky News Australia.
“I don’t think there is anything at all. I don’t think people could read it any other way unless they chose to. Then it becomes a question for them.”
Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham also said the visit was simply “business as usual.”
“These sorts of delegation visits are not at all uncommon. This is really the resumption of normal practice following the shutdown during the Covid period,” he told ABC Radio.
“It is essential to understand better Australia’s relations, particularly in this case economic ties, with an economy like Taiwan.”
Birmingham also dismissed The Global Times saying it was not known for its moderate commentary.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese played down the importance of the visit, saying it was not a government visit.
“There remains a bipartisan position when it comes to China and when it comes to support for the status quo on Taiwan,” he said.
Cindy Zhan contributed to this report.
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Rebecca Zhu is based in Sydney. She focuses on Australian and New Zealand national affairs. Got a tip? Contact her at rebecca.zhu@epochtimes.com.au.
