A leading Australian opposition lawmaker visited Taiwan this week, underscoring the importance of security cooperation between Taiwan and Australia.

Andrew Wallace, deputy chairman of the Australian Parliament’s Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, said security cooperation was “vital” in a changing geopolitical landscape when he met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday.

He said: “Taiwan and Australia both recognize the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Our partnership, our strategic partnership, has made a significant contribution to regional security.”

Wallace is one of five lawmakers who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a six-day visit. During his meeting with President Tsai, Wallace added that a rules-based, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves Taiwan and Australia’s vested interests.

“In defense cooperation, our defense forces participate in joint exercises, intelligence sharing and capability-building projects,” Wallace said.

Taiwan and Australia are cooperating on cybersecurity initiatives to protect critical infrastructure and important digital networks, he said, without disclosing details.

Tsai Ing-wen told Wallace and other visiting Australian lawmakers that Taiwan and Australia are staunch defenders of freedom and democracy.

“Today’s democracies must unite and cooperate in the face of authoritarian expansionism,” she said.

Like many countries, Australia has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but it has become increasingly concerned about China’s increased military activity and pressure on the democratic island.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan a willful province and has not ruled out using force to unify it with the mainland.

Wallace’s comments came as Australia, the United States, Japan and the Philippines held naval exercises in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, U.S. officials say the region is increasingly interested in becoming more involved in the Regional Security Partnership (AUKUS) between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

On Monday, the three countries issued a joint statement saying they were considering cooperation with Japan through AUKUS.

Clive Hamilton, professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, told VOA that while the visit by Australian lawmakers to Taiwan was not official, it could be seen as a sign of solidarity with Taiwan and its right to exist as a country. democratic and independent entities, and the means to further strengthen ties, including military and intelligence cooperation.

“Members of Congress and the government are fully aware that Beijing will strongly oppose this visit, so the decision to go ahead sends a message that they will not be coerced into abandoning this visit,” Hamilton said. Regarding China’s de facto access to the South China Sea colonial rule and its aggressive and illegal actions against the Philippines. ”

Liberal Party MP Angie Bell, one of the members of the delegation, told VOA Mandarin that many Australians believe that cooperation between Australia and Taiwan can help strengthen regional security and stability.

Bell said: “We are willing to discuss issues such as maritime security, intelligence sharing and joint military exercises to strengthen the two countries’ cooperative capabilities to deal with regional security challenges.” We are willing to cooperate with Taiwan and other regional partners to jointly respond to these challenges and maintain regional peace. Stablize. ”

It is unclear how China will respond to Australian lawmakers’ visit to Taiwan or comments about security cooperation. Beijing firmly opposes any interaction between Taiwan and other foreign governments or politicians.

Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Australia for the first time in seven years. After the visit, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was actively considering “initiating a dialogue on maritime affairs” with Australia.

VOA’s Mandarin Service and Erin Hale contributed to this report. Some information comes from Reuters.