Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says the Australian Government will not publicly discuss the possibility of joining the United States to defend Taiwan. Mr Downer says the question of the US invoking the alliance with Australia in a conflict with China is hypothetical.

Speaking to CNN in Hong Kong, Mr Downer was asked whether during his visit to Beijing this week he had said that the alliance would not apply to Taiwan. "Why ask the question, what would we do in the event of there being a war between China and Taiwan," he said.

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