Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday that Australia's policy is aimed at keeping good relations with both the United States and China.

Howard made the remarks after Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer suggested earlier during a visit to Beijing that Australia was not bound to help the United States defend Taiwan in case of a military conflict.

"We are a very close ally of the United States and a faithful ANZUS (Security Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America) partner. We also of course have a very important and close relationship with China and we make no apology for that, we support the One China policy," Howard told reporters in Adelaide, capital of the state of South Australia.

"Our aim is to keep good relations with both and our aim and our policy is to make sure that tension between America and China and Taiwan is kept as low as possible and in fact relations between America and China now are better than they have been for some time," an emailed transcript of his interview read.

"The aim of the policy (of Australia) is to remove choice, the aim of the policy is to be friendly with both and we are and we will remain so," he said.

Howard said the United States has made no contact with Australia to ask for an explanation about Downer's comments because this is all completely hypothetical.

He said Downer didn't misstate the policy of keeping friendly with both the United States and China.

When asked whether Downer will remain foreign minister under a future Howard government, Howard said, "Yes. He has been an excellent foreign affairs minister. I have no more dependable, able colleague than Alexander Downer."