Transcript - Taiwan's Regional Security

TONY 'Gorgeous' JONES: "If the Chinese leadership regard this missile defence system in the same way that the Russian leadership have regarded the one that the US and Europe want to put into Eastern Europe, you're going to have a serious diplomatic problem on your hands, aren't you?"

BRENDAN NELSON: "Well Tony, it is a concern if it is held... which is not a reality on the facts that are being developed. Australia's relationship with China is such that under no circumstances would we be wishing to be supportive of something which was destabilising to the security of the region..."

TONY: "... Here's the point. Should Australia's defence not look at worst-case scenarios? And the worst-case scenario in our region would be a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan. And the question in the Chinese' minds and in my mind right now is whether that military system could protect Taiwan in those circumstances."

BRENDAN: "..As far as any military capability being developed by Japan and the US, having an extension to any other nation or indeed any other part of the region, such as Taiwan, is not something I'm willing to discuss publicly..."


- Lateline, www.abc.net.au
June 6, 2007
Brendan Nelson with Tony Jones, discussing the Australia/Japan/US trilateral Military Ballistic System