UK pledges joint defense with Australia if China attacks Taiwan

Britain and Australia will stand together to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, UK Defence Secretary John Healey told The Telegraph during a visit to Australia.

Asked how the UK would support Taiwan in the event of Chinese aggression, Healey said: “If we have to fight, as we have in the past, Australia and Britain will fight together.”

He said the two countries' armed forces were conducting joint exercises to serve as a “deterrent force.”

However, Healey emphasized that London preferred diplomatic solutions to disputes in the Indo-Pacific region.

Responding to a question about whether the UK was ready to recognize Taiwan as an independent state and establish official ties, Healey said London was “not currently considering a change in its position on Taiwan.”