Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu said Taiwan is committed to strengthening partnership with Israel while urging global democracies to continue supporting Taiwan.
Wu made the remarks in an interview with senior correspondent Emily Schrader for a piece titled “Taiwan’s FM urges closer ties with Israel” that was published Dec. 12.
Taiwan and Israel share the universal values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights, Wu said. The government will continue expanding exchanges and cooperation with the like-minded partner while continuously assessing its situation in the face of China’s ongoing threats, he added.
China is attempting to cut off Taiwan’s international network, Wu said, adding that one of Beijing’s tactics is to intimidate democratic countries who cooperate with Taiwan.
Israel is one such nation, Wu said, citing China’s pressure on Israel whenever Israeli newspapers or journalists comment on Taiwan or interview the country’s officials.
According to Wu, China unilaterally ended high-level formal communication with Taiwan when President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016. It continues to carry out warplane and warship sorties in airspace and waters surrounding the country, as well as live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait to increase regional tensions, he said.
Assaults on Taiwan will jeopardize global peace and stability and will not be accepted by the international community, Wu said, adding that Taiwan is determined to strengthen its self-defense capabilities with support from the U.S. via arms sales.
Wu additionally called on democratic partners like Israel and the U.S. to voice staunch support for Taiwan if a war were to happen, just as the international community did for Ukraine. (YCH-E)
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