TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's foreign ministry has refuted former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating’s description of Taiwan as “Chinese real estate” on Friday (Aug. 9), and said it will not cede Taiwan’s sovereignty.

“Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent country that is not affiliated with the People’s Republic of China,” the foreign ministry said in a statement provided to Taiwan News. “It will not change its status as a sovereign country because of the biased speech of a few international figures who ignore the current international situation,” it said.

The foreign ministry also noted a joint statement from the US and Australian governments on Tuesday (Aug. 6) in which they expressed opposition to changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. The statement expressed “strong concern” over military activity around Taiwan.

The ministry said this statement shows Australia regards Taiwan as a “key national interest.” It said Taiwan would continue to seek closer ties with Australia going forward.

Keating made the comments about Taiwan when speaking to Australian media about his country’s military ties with the US on Thursday (Aug. 8). He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Taiwan is not a vital Australian interest, and the country’s close military alignment with the US exists to protect US interests in Taiwan.

“The Americans are going to say 'no, no, we're going to keep these Taiwanese people protected', even though they're sitting on Chinese real estate,” he said.

Asked about a possible annexation, Keating said “it will get resolved socially and politically over time" and added, “But the thing is, it’s not our matter.”  

“Does anyone want their kids to be shot to death on a sandy beach in Taiwan? ...This is the outcome of such a policy,” Keating said. “The Chinese will fight to the last teenage soldier to defend Taiwan and the Chinese state, and the Americans will not take on such a fight and more than that, will not win it,” he said.

Keating also took aim at AUKUS, a security pact between Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom, which a senior US official in April suggested could be used to deter an invasion of Taiwan. Keating said he believes the US aims to use AUKUS to militarily control Australia.

“We are better left alone than we are being protected by an aggressive power like the United States,” he said. Asked why he thought the US is aggressive, Keating said it is trying to “superintend” China.

Current Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to Keating’s comments on Friday and said his views are not relevant to Australia’s current strategic circumstances. “Paul has his views, they’re well known,” Albanese said.

Keating has made multiple comments in support of China’s claims to Taiwan in the past and has been a staunch critic of AUKUS since its inception.