By Wu Qiaoxi | 2026-06-12

Britain and Australia expressed concern over China's destabilizing military exercises around Taiwan and reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement issued after annual ministerial talks in London.

The statement was released following the annual Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) held in London on June 10, where British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Defense Secretary John Healey, who resigned on June 11, hosted Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles.

The ministers "opposed any unilateral action to change the status quo and encouraged dialogue rather than coercion or the use of force," the statement said. They also "expressed concern at China's destabilising military exercises around Taiwan."

The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to supporting "Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations" and to strengthening ties with Taiwan in "economic, trade, scientific, technological and cultural fields."

China considers Taiwan its territory and has never ruled out using force to seize it.

Regional security

The ministers linked Taiwan Strait stability to broader regional security, saying the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions are interconnected and critical to their shared security, resilience and prosperity. They emphasized the need to manage strategic competition responsibly to reduce the risks of miscalculation, escalation and conflict.

The statement reiterated strong opposition to activities that raise tensions in the South China Sea, including military activities on disputed features, dangerous maneuvers and the unsafe use of military assets, coast guard and maritime militia. It voiced concern over developments in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea and reaffirmed that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award is final and binding on the parties.

That court ruling threw out China's claim to more than 80% of the South China Sea.

The ministers linked Russia's war in Ukraine to Indo-Pacific security, expressing concern that China's economic support has helped sustain Moscow's war effort. They called on Beijing to prevent its companies from supplying dual use components that bolster Russia's defense industrial base and urged China to use its "substantial influence" with Moscow to help end the conflict.

Growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has significant implications for both Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security, the statement said. "The application of battlefield lessons learned from Russia's illegal war in Ukraine exacerbates the threat the DPRK [an acronym for North Korea] poses to Indo-Pacific stability," it said.

Economic risks

The diplomatic warnings came as the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report released in Kuala Lumpur June 10 that the global economic shock from a Taiwan Strait conflict scenario would be akin to triggering a third world war, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported.

The report, which modeled the impact on Malaysia, said even countries that remain neutral could not avoid negative economic shocks, with costs to regional economies far exceeding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It said the electronic and tourism sectors would be hit hardest. Unemployment potentially can rise into the millions in a conflict scenario.

The joint statement echoed language adopted days earlier by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon following their third annual leaders' meeting in Noosa, Australia, on June 6.

Besides calling for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the two prime ministers said they opposed "any unilateral action to change the status quo and [encouraged] dialogue rather than coercion or the use of force."

They expressed concern about "the intensification of destabilizing activities in the South China Sea, including the militarization of disputed features and instances of unsafe and unprofessional behavior," and said maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully under international law.

Australia and Germany delivered the same message on June 8, when Wong and Marles discussed security with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Berlin during the two countries' third 2+2 ministerial consultations.

Their joint statement voiced familiar themes: the need for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, opposition to any unilateral effort to alter the status quo by force and support for "Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations."