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WA Premier Mark McGowan calls for China to ‘calm down’ over US Taiwan visit

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Josh ZimmermanThe West Australian
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Main image: A photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency shows a projectile launched at an unspecified location in China during long-range live-fire drills on August 4. Inset: WA Premier Mark McGowan.
Camera IconMain image: A photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency shows a projectile launched at an unspecified location in China during long-range live-fire drills on August 4. Inset: WA Premier Mark McGowan. Credit: The West Australian

Premier Mark McGowan believes China’s aggressive response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan “has been a bit over the top” and called on Beijing to “calm down” after days of military exercises centred on the island.

He also joined WA Defence Industries Minister Paul Papalia in pushing for a bigger military presence in WA as tensions in the Indo-Pacific region continue to escalate.

Mrs Pelosi became the most senior US official to visit Taipei in a quarter of a century when she spent two days there last week — including a stop at Taiwan’s Parliament and a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen.

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The diplomatic visit sparked outrage from China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province of the Middle Kingdom rather than a separate nation.

Mr McGowan frequently clashed with the Morrison Government and former Defence Minister Peter Dutton in particular over what the Premier viewed as unnecessarily confrontational rhetoric towards China, which is WA’s biggest trading partner.

He would not weigh in on whether he thought Mrs Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was appropriate but said he was “obviously” concerned about the dramatic escalations in regional tensions it had created.

“I think everyone (is worried). The reaction has been a bit over the top and I think there needs to be a calm down on the part of China,” Mr McGowan said.

“I don’t know the circumstances as to why (Mrs Pelosi) went there… but I don’t think the reaction should have been as strong as it was.”

The visit — which Beijing had repeatedly warned would be viewed as a provocation — prompted a swift response from the Chinese military, which launched a range of sea and air exercises showcasing its ability to launch an assault on Taiwan.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned China for the attacks over the weekend, with the Chinese embassy in Australia subsequently releasing a statement expressing concern and “discontent” over the intervention.

The posturing comes after Retired Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston and former Labor defence minister Stephen Smith were appointed to conduct a sweeping review into the Australian Defence Force’s capability and preparedness.

Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Camera IconChinese President Xi Jinping. Credit: Ng Han Guan/AP

Mr Papalia last week told The West it was vital that the probe acknowledge WA — especially the north of the State — had been left “essentially undefended” and required a greater permanent military presence.

Mr McGowan said Mr Papalia had “raised a very good point” and that placing additional army and air force units in WA made sense “just in case in the long term future something happened”.

“There’s huge amounts of army infrastructure and army units based in Victoria,” the Premier said.

“I would have thought that a more sensible deployment of those resources would be to Western Australia.

“It’s not as though we’re going to be attacked by New Zealand.”

Mr McGowan said he favoured basing the bulk of the additional manpower in Perth and the south west of the state but “with the capacity to deploy quickly” to the Pilbara and Kimberley.

He said expecting army or air force personnel to live long-term in the state’s north would make it difficult to retain them.

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