Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce believes Beijing will not engage in outright conflict with Taiwan because it would be “too stupid.”
Joyce made the comments after returning from a visit to Taiwan with a bipartisan delegation consisting of Labor, Liberal, and Nationals MPs.
“China and Taiwan, I believe, are unlikely to come to a conflict. It is too stupid and they are not stupid. China instead will try to assert its power incrementally,” he wrote in The Australian.
The Nationals MP added that he believes the Chinese regime would play a “much longer game,” and said that in addition to military power, economic strength was also extremely important….