Australia has a substantial relationship with Taiwan including trade and investment, education, tourism and people-to-people ties. In 1949, following a period of civil war and conflict with Japan in WWII, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) established the People's Republic of China (PRC), with Beijing as its capital.
They include Belize, eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Guatemala, Haiti, the Holy See (the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church), the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu.
Today, Australia enjoys bilateral security relationships with both New Zealand and the US under ANZUS. The treaty, while not formally revoked after the US- New Zealand nuclear dispute, no longer fully exists in practice.
Taiwan is an important trading partner for Australia. Our relationship generates business and investment for Australian and Taiwanese companies and jobs for people of both economies. Australia and Taiwan also encourage people-to-people contacts in areas such as the arts, culture, education, science, tourism and sport.
After establishing diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in 1972, Australia established an embassy in Beijing in 1973. The Australia-China bilateral relationship is based on strong economic and trade complementarities and longstanding community and cultural links.
Since that time, United States has been the most important security ally. The close security relationship with the United States was formalized in 1951 by the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security (ANZUS) Treaty which remains the cornerstone of Australian security arrangements.
Both Australia and Japan share the US as their major ally but such a relationship with a superpower can only be asymmetrical.
Australians tend to be very pro-Taiwan due to the widespread belief that China poses a threat to national security. In 2022, a poll conducted by the Lowy Institute showed that 51% of Australians would support sending military support to Taiwan if China were to invade, up from 43% in 2021.
On Taiwan, in the 2021 Lowy Poll a majority of Australians rated a military conflict between the US and China over Taiwan as a critical threat to Australia. But in the event of a military conflict between China and United States, 57% think Australia should stay neutral.
Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has no formal diplomatic relations with any NATO members, but has close defence ties with the United States, the island's main international source of arms and NATO's largest member state.
When breaking down the statistics to see where travellers are flocking from, China has equalled neighbouring New Zealand, who have long held the crown as the greatest lovers of Australia.
In 2014, Australia was granted NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status as a 'valuable, capable and reliable partner', alongside Finland, Georgia, Jordan, Sweden and Ukraine. Australia's relationship with NATO continues to evolve in response to today's complex security environment.
The nation holds a Power Index score of 0.2567 with a score of 0.0000 being considered exceptional in the GFP assessment.
The U.S. remains Taiwan's closest military and political ally, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between them.
Only 13 countries recognise Taiwan now: Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, Eswatini, Vatican City, Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Russia currently doesn't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, considering it to be an "inalienable" part of the People's Republic of China.
The latest Census in 2016 recorded 46,822 Taiwan-born people in Australia, an increase of 63.6 per cent from the 2011 Census.
Subsequently, Taiwanese mass immigration to Australia began during the 1970s as a result of the complete dismantlement of the White Australia Policy (1901–1973), which historically prevented Taiwanese people and other non-Europeans from permanently settling in the country.
Mandarin. Mandarin Chinese has been the official language of Taiwan since 1945 and is the most spoken language in the country.
Most recently, Nicaragua rescinded its recognition of Taiwan in December 2021. As a result, only Vatican City and 13 of the 193 UN countries recognize Taiwan as of 2022.
Taiwan's remaining allies are Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Americas. In the Pacific, it is still recognised by the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu. Eswatini is its only African ally, and Vatican City the only one in Europe.
The Australian Office in Taipei.
Australia and Russia share membership of key multilateral forums including the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), ASEAN Regional Forum, East Asia Summit (EAS) and the Group of 20 (G20).
Australia is a highly developed country with a mixed economy. As of 2023, Australia was the 13th-largest national economy by nominal GDP (gross domestic product), the 19th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP, and was the 22nd-largest goods exporter and 24th-largest goods importer.
Japan describes Australia as its most important security partner after our common ally, the United States. Australia and Japan cooperate closely bilaterally and trilaterally with the United States, including through the Trilateral Strategic Dialogue.