Pelosi's visit to Taiwan has made the island less secure, says former Australian PM Kevin Rudd

In an exclusive conversation with WION's managing editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan brought the island closer to the precipice of war with China.

Rudd, who is currently the global president of the Asia Society, said, ''China is strengthening itself both militarily and financially in terms of a greater degree of self-reliance before it rolls the dice on Taiwan.''

The 64-year-old highlighted that ''Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to be seen as the man who completed Mao's revolution in Communist history.''

''The problem with Pelosi's visit to Taipei is that it fools around with the symbols of One-China policy, and if the US wanted to unnecessarily create an early tripwire for crisis escalation conflict and war by highly symbolic acts, it has brought Taiwan closer to the precipice of war.''

Rudd, who studied in Taiwan, said he has seen Taipei evolve over the years and he believes that it has become less secure due to Pelosi's visit because the People's Republic of China has now normalised a new set of military drills in its close vicinity and around it.

According to Rudd, if China successfully takes control over Taiwan, it will be emboldened and Jinping will take advantage and double down.

When asked about how the Chinese leadership views India, Rudd, who has worked closely with Jinping, answered that it recognises New Delhi as an ancient civilisation like their own.

Pointing out the similarities between India and China, Rudd said they both have been invaded several times and faced external security threats.

Praising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rudd said he has been elected two times with a thumping majority and has redirected India's strategic policy which has been acutely manifested in Quad. 

Rudd said that the Indian economy is growing robustly at six to seven per cent annually despite the coronavirus pandemic while China's growth rate is slowing due to self-induced reasons.