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AAP
AAP
Dominic Giannini and Tess Ikonomou

Taiwan tries to lure Australian MPs as China watches on

Taiwan's representative in Australia has flagged setting up a tour for MPs and senators to visit the island after the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party won a historic third term.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia was talking with government representatives in a bid to have them travel to Taiwan following the democratic election, Douglas Hsu said.

"We are in the process of talking with friends here to see if they will be interested to travel to Taiwan to meet with the new team or see Taiwan with their own eyes," he told AAP.

Taiwan's envoy to Australia Douglas
Taiwan representative Douglas Hsu is gauging interest among Australian MPs for visiting the island. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

While Australia had the right to make its own decision on whether to stick with its one-China policy, it was clear Taiwanese people supported democracy over the one country, two systems model, Mr Hsu said.

"Through that election, Taiwanese people, Taiwanese voters sent a very clear signal to the other side of the Taiwan Strait that between democracy and authoritarian, Taiwanese people choose democracy," he said. 

Beijing has been hostile towards foreign government officials visiting Taiwan, which it sees as an encroachment on Chinese sovereignty through a tacit recognition of Taiwanese statehood.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated president-elect William Lai on his victory but reaffirmed Australia's one-China policy.

The government respected Taiwan's democratic processes and outcomes but it didn't affect Canberra's foreign policy, he said.

"It won't change from before the election. Dr Lai is from the same political party as his predecessor," he told ABC's RN on Monday.

"We'll continue to work on what is an important relationship, consistent though with our long standing and bipartisan one-China policy."

Dr Lai has pledged to defend the island from "intimidation" by China, which has labelled the leader a "troublemaker" and threat to peace in the region.

The result is expected to heighten tensions with Beijing, with Taiwanese voters warned by the Chinese military in the lead up to polling it would take all "necessary measures to firmly crush" attempts at independence.

Beijing needed to work with the democratically elected Taiwanese government, Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan said. 

"What the world wants to see is good close interaction between both Taiwan and China," he told Sky News.

Chinese ambassador to Australia  Xiao Qian
China's ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian warned against sending 'any wrong signal' to Taiwan. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian used an opinion piece published before the election to reassert that Taiwan's reunification was purely an internal affair for China. 

He called on nations with diplomatic relations with Taipei to refrain from conducting any official contact with Taiwan to avoid sending "any wrong signal to 'Taiwan-independence' separatist forces".

Democratic countries including Australia and the United States have warned Beijing against a unilateral change to the status quo, with the forceful reunification of the island seen as a potential flashpoint for conflict. 

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