Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs François Chih-chung Wu said March 20 that the government will continue expansion of global cooperation to garner further support for peace and stability of Taiwan and around the world.
Wu made the remarks during a joint interview with Arnaud Pontus in videoconference mode and Nicolas Rocca in Taipei City for a segment aired later the same day as part of the morning news Grand Invité International on state-owned Radio France Internationale.
According to Wu, due to China’s blatant ambition toward Taiwan, maintaining peace and stability of Taiwan is in the common interest of all stakeholders. This is especially true because of the vital role of Taiwan’s semiconductor sector to the global economy.
To curb Beijing’s aggression, Wu said Taiwan is actively enhancing its self-defense capabilities by increasing related budgets to 3 percent of the gross domestic product. The transits by U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, France and Germany warships sent a strong message that maintaining the status quo is a shared concern. Joint statements by the Group of Seven and Group of 20 calling for Taiwan’s international participation also reflect this stance, he added.
Remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials underscore Washington’s strong support for Taiwan, the deputy minister said, adding that the country’s diplomatic measures in recent years are bringing positive results, as evidenced by growing global support for Taiwan. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw