VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Taiwan is not seeking to get into an arms race with China but does need to defend itself and will not submit to pressure, its defence ministry said in a report to parliament on Wednesday.

Tensions between Taiwan and China, which claims the democratically-governed island as its own territory, have spiked over the past year as Beijing ups its military and political pressure to force Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.

That has included repeated missions by Chinese warplanes in Taiwan's air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, which covers a broader area than Taiwan's territorial air space which Taiwan monitors and patrols to give it more time to respond to any threats.

China is in the midst of a military modernisation programme, building new aircraft carriers and stealth fighters, while Taiwan is also increasing military spending, especially on developing new missiles and submarines.

In its report to parliament, Taiwan's Defence Ministry described the situation in the Taiwan Strait that separates it from its giant neighbour as "severe and unstable" and labelled the actions of China's military "provocation".

"Taiwan will not engage in an arms race with the Chinese Communists' military and will not seek military confrontation, hoping for peaceful coexistence across the strait," it said.

"But in the face of the Chinese Communists' threat to our national security, we will do our best to defend our country's sovereignty and will never give in under duress."

What it termed the "confrontation" between Taiwan and China would be "difficult to alleviate in the short term".

The military will strive to hone its abilities to monitor Chinese aircraft and ships so it can react earlier, and will also exchange intelligence with foreign countries so it can be fully informed of the regional security situation, it added.

Speaking earlier on Wednesday in Beijing, a Chinese government spokesman reiterated their determination to prevent Taiwan's formal independence and bring the island under China's rule, preferably peacefully.

But Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, added: "We do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures".

Democratically-ruled Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend itself if attacked.

The tensions have sparked international concern of a conflict that could pit the United States and its allies against China. (Reuters)

The Taliban are eager to have dialogue with the rest of the world, and the international community should help Afghanistan with its development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.

In an address delivered by video link to a conference in Iran, Wang said Beijing was ready to host further talks between Afghanistan and its neighbours on the country's future.

"The Taliban are eager to have dialogue with the world ... China will host the third Neighbours of Afghanistan meeting at the appropriate time," Wang said in comments broadcast live by Iranian state TV.

The meeting of Afghanistan and neighbouring countries was attended in person by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and China and Russia participated by video link.

The talks followed a similar conference involving Afghanistan's neighbouring countries that was hosted by Pakistan in September, and are aimed at establishing durable peace in Afghanistan.

China, which has not fought in Afghanistan, has been holding out an olive branch to the Taliban since they regained power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. forces in August.

The United States and other Western countries are seeking ways to engage with the Taliban and ensure humanitarian aid flows into the country, without granting them the legitimacy they seek.

U.S. officials and Taliban representatives discussed humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan this month in Qatar but Washington said the meetings did not amount to recognition of the Taliban.

The United States and other Western nations are reluctant to provide the Taliban with funds until the Islamist militant movement provides assurances that it will uphold human rights, and in particular the rights of women.

At Wednesday's conference in Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian backed the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, state television reported. His remarks echoed Iran's official stance.

Shi’ite Muslim Iran has been a foe of the hardline Sunni Muslim Taliban for decades, but for the past few years it has been openly meeting Taliban leaders. In July, Tehran hosted a meeting of then Afghan government representatives and a high-level Taliban political committee.

Iran has criticised the Taliban, which took control over Afghanistan in August, for excluding ethnic minorities from the government. (Reuters)

Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed during a summit on Wednesday to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership between them, ASEAN chair Brunei said.

"ASEAN and Australia also agreed to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and Australia that is meaningful, substantive and mutually beneficial," it said in a summary of the meeting. (Reuters)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday stressed to Southeast Asian leaders his country's strong opposition to challenges to a free and open maritime order, underscoring regional concerns about China's growing military clout.

Kishida took part in a virtual summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who earlier discussed concerns about militarisation and confrontation in the South China Sea and called for the conclusion of an ASEAN-China code of conduct "consistent with international law".

U.S. President Joe Biden will join the virtual East Asia Summit later on Wednesday, with leaders of China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and South Korea, Japan and ASEAN members.

Southeast Asia has become a strategic battleground in the rivalry between the United States and China, with Washington and its allies stepping up patrols to challenge Beijing's vast maritime fleet, which it deploys to buttress its claims to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.

An international arbitration tribunal in 2016 invalidated China's claims, which overlap with Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines and Brunei.

A trilateral security pact agreed last month between the United States, Britain and Australia, under which Australia will get access to nuclear-powered submarines, has added to fears of an arms race taking shape in Southeast Asia.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday said he was concerned the agreement, known as AUKUS "could spark rivalry in the region", according to his foreign minister, Retno Marsudi.

The Philippines has backed AUKUS but its president, Rodrigo Duterte, on Wednesday said it "must complement and not complicate our working methods for cooperation."

The leaders' remarks were made a meeting between ASEAN and Australia, whose prime minister, Scott Morrison, proposed a strengthening of relations to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP), which would make it the first country to agree such a deal with ASEAN.

Morrison also sought to reassure ASEAN that AUKUS did not mean a pursuit of nuclear arms and was not a security threat.

"AUKUS adds to our network of partnerships that support regional stability and security," he said.

A day earlier, ASEAN addressed another burning issue in Southeast Asia, the ongoing crisis in Myanmar following a coup eight months ago. ASEAN chair Brunei said they reiterated a call for special envoy Erywan Yusof to visit the country as mediator "with full access to all parties concerned".

Myanmar was not represented at the summit, as ASEAN had snubbed the leader of the coup, Min Aung Hlaing, for his failure to follow an agreed peace process, and the junta refused the bloc's offer to send an alternative representative.

Despite the acrimony of Myanmar's no-show, ASEAN chair Brunei took a conciliatory tone in its summit statement.

"Myanmar needs both time and political space to deal with its many and complex challenges," it said. (Reuters)