Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has surprisingly lashed out at Paul Keating for his recent comments on Taiwan and China.
Last week, Mr Keating, who was Australia’s prime minister from 1991 to 1996, described the self-ruled island of Taiwan as “Chinese real estate”, angering Ms Pelosi, who remains a senior power player in the Democratic Party.
Responding to ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday night, he used undiplomatic language, calling Keating’s comments “stupid” and “ridiculous”.
“You don’t want to get my description of (Mr Keating) for saying that,” Pelosi told 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson.
“That’s ridiculous. This is not about Chinese real estate and he should know that. Taiwan is Taiwan and it is the people of Taiwan who have a democracy there.
“I think it was a stupid statement… I don’t know anything about Keating. But, you know, it was a stupid statement.”
“And I don’t know what connection he has with China for him to say something like that, but it’s not really in the security interest of the Asia-Pacific region for people to talk like that.
“Maybe he believes it, but I think he is wrong.”
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has lashed out at Paul Keating (pictured) in a stunning barrage of criticism over his comments on Taiwan and China.
Ms Pelosi sparked a major diplomatic incident with China in 2022 when she became the highest-ranking US politician in decades to visit Taiwan.
At the time, she was still Speaker of the House of Representatives, making her next in line for the US presidency after Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Our delegation came to Taiwan to make it unequivocally clear that we will not abandon Taiwan,” he told then-President Tsai Ing-wen.
‘Taiwan’s history is an inspiration to all freedom-loving people.’
Mr Keating addressed the US politician’s controversial Taiwan trip in a statement after his interview with ABC, saying it was “recklessly indulgent” and “nearly brought the US and China into military confrontation”.
“Indeed, Pelosi had to be warned by her president, Joe Biden, and with him, the Pentagon, of the military risks of her visit,” Keating said in a statement.
The former Labor prime minister also noted that Australia, like the United States, adheres to the so-called “One China” policy, which maintains formal diplomatic relations with China but not with Taiwan.
Neither Australia nor the United States formally recognise Taiwan as its own country, although both maintain cordial and supportive relations with it.
“Both countries believe that it is not in anyone’s interest for Taiwan to be subject to any kind of violent takeover,” Keating said.
‘That’s why I said last week at 7.30 that Chinese and Taiwanese interests will be resolved socially and politically over time. That’s what will happen there.
‘Obviously, by asking her a truncated question at 7:30, Nancy Pelosi would not have noticed that I also said that Taiwan (would be resolved) without the need for confrontation or violence.
Ms Pelosi (pictured) sparked a major diplomatic incident with China in 2022 when she became the highest-ranking US politician in decades to visit Taiwan.
Mr Keating also noted that Australia, like the US, subscribes to the so-called “One China” policy, maintaining formal diplomatic relations with China but not Taiwan (pictured, Chinese President Xi Jinping is sworn in after being re-elected as president for a third term on 10 March 2023).
That said, I want to make this clear: in my public statements I represent Australia’s national interests, not the national interests of the United States and certainly not the interests of Taiwan.
He added that Taiwan’s interests were no more vital to Australia than “the absence of democratic forms in countries like Cambodia or Laos.”
Mr Keating said the ABC should “represent Australian strategic interests when given the opportunity, rather than being inspired by sensational comments from a person who shares no identity with Australian national interests”.
He also said last week that the United States was an “aggressive power” that was “trying to supervise from across the Atlantic the biggest Asian power, which is China.”