Australia Hits Back At Trump's ‘Betrayal', Refuses To Commit Troops In Potential US-China-Taiwan War – Is QUAD-AUKUS Falling Apart?
From Melbourne to Beijing, the shift in tone is palpable. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walks the diplomatic tightrope in China, his government is making it known that Australia will not send troops if tensions between the United States and China explode into war over Taiwan. No pre-commitments. No blind faith.
Defence Minister Pat Conroy echoed the same. Calm, deliberate and without drama. He refused to make advance promises. Decisions, he said, would be made by Australia's elected government, not dictated by demands from Washington.
Behind the scenes, frustration brews. The AUKUS pact, trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States intended to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable, once hailed as a defence revolution, now stumbles. The nuclear submarines promised by the United States have not arrived. Deadlines have shifted. Commitments have blurred. Trust has thinned.
This, many in Canberra believe, is not only about Taiwan but being treated as an equal partner and not a subordinate. It is about remembering history as well.
Australia and the United States are both part of the Quad, a security alliance meant to counter China's rise. But now, Australia's faith in the alliance is being tested.
In Beijing, PM Albanese stays cautious. He talks of peace. He speaks of stability in the region. He avoids the war talk that Washington seems eager to entertain. And he will not offer reassurances on troop deployment.
Reports say the US Department of Defense has asked Australia and Japan for written guarantees. They want allies to commit to sending forces if a conflict erupts in the Indo-Pacific. One name keeps coming up is Elbridge Colby. A senior voice in Washington, overseeing the AUKUS plan, now seen as pushing too hard and too fast.
But this is not the Australia of 20 years ago.
Canberra today is caught in a different storm. On one side is Trump's America that is unpredictable, transactional and slapping tariffs even on allies. On the other is China, Australia's largest trading partner, economically vital and militarily dominant.
Financial Times revealed that Japan too is under similar pressure. Washington is asking for promises. But leaders in Asia are hesitating. No one wants to sign up for someone else's war.
Back home, Australian officials say Albanese's six-day China visit is about protecting national interest, both security and trade. It is a recalibration and a moment of realism.
With Quad's future hanging in the balance, analysts whisper what officials will not say aloud – the alliance is wobbling. And if the pressure continues, it may not survive.
Australia's response is less about defiance and more about dignity and less about choosing sides and more about choosing sovereignty.
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