TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The former Prime Minister of Australia and current Australian Ambassador to the U.S., Kevin Rudd shared his views on tensions in the Taiwan Strait in an op-ed published by the Washington Post on Thursday (June 6).  

Rudd said that a war over Taiwan would make the world a “radically different place” with an impact similar to that of World War II, reported Reuters. In his op-ed Rudd argued the U.S., Australia and regional allies should be more pro-active in condemning and deterring China’s gray zone military tactics targeting Taiwan, while also encouraging renewed dialogue between leaders in Taiwan and China. 

To do this, both Beijing and Taipei must be encouraged by the international community to “break the ‘1992 consensus’ impasse,” said Rudd. The so-called “1992 Consensus” is an assertion that both Taiwan and China belong to “one China,” a claim the Taiwan government has rejected since the election of Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2016. 

Rudd called on the U.S. to make greater efforts to assure China that it does not seek to change the “status-quo” of Taiwan’s political position. However, he acknowledged that this should be coupled with greater efforts at deterrence in response to China’s aggressive acts in the region.  

The article was based on a speech given by Rudd at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii.   

Rudd said that if peace in the region is to be maintained, then allied nations will need to take action to address the “short of invasion” tactics employed by Beijing with coordinated policy responses. While Rudd favored “maintaining the status quo,” he said it would not be sufficient in itself to mitigate conflict and assuage Beijing’s militaristic ambitions toward Taiwan. 

To do that “integrated deterrence” must be employed by the U.S. and its allies. This means maintaining sufficient defensive capabilities to respond effectively to China’s gray-zone tactics, and ensuring the risk of attacking Taiwan remains high for Beijing.