Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said Taiwan will continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation with democracies like Japan and the U.S. to safeguard regional security and deter authoritarian expansion.
Lin made the remarks during an interview with Stephen Engle of Bloomberg Television and Yian Lee of Bloomberg News Dec. 2 in Taipei City for a video and an article published on the same day.
According to Lin, Taiwan is maintaining communication with Japan to manage the situation that has arisen from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comment on Japan's possible involvement if China were to invade Taiwan. He said Taiwan is adopting a soft approach to support Japan, including encouraging tourism to the country, and added that heightened tensions are in no one’s best interest.
Taiwan and Japan must share the burden of defense, whether in terms of enhancing capabilities or in weaving together a lattice-like strategic framework to defend the regional status quo and avoid authoritarian expansionism, Lin said. The minister also expressed confidence in the commitment of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to Indo-Pacific security, particularly with respect to the first island chain.
Lin said that President Lai Ching-te’s policy decisions demonstrate Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense and democracy, citing the increase in the defense budget, the extension of mandatory military service, the strengthening of asymmetric warfare capabilities and the implementation of projects to enhance whole-of-society resilience.
Lin also touched on Taiwan-Europe ties, describing them as full of potential for further cooperation on security and supply chains. The minister further noted that Taiwan has proposed holding a meeting in January with South African officials to resolve a dispute over the location of a Taiwanese representative office. (YCH-E)
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