Taiwan is committed to working with its global partners to safeguard the shared values of freedom and democracy and counter China’s authoritarian expansion, Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph said.
Peace, equity, democracy and dialogue are the keys to ensuring benign cross-strait interactions, Wu said. Taiwan will never accept the so-called “one country, two systems” model, and China must desist from launching military threats against Taiwan and spreading disinformation, he added.
Wu said Beijing needs to look squarely at the four commitments reiterated by President Tsai Ing-wen during her National Day speech, namely that the ROC (Taiwan) is determined to defend its free and democratic constitutional system; the ROC and PRC are not subordinate to each other; Taiwan will never accept any annexation or encroachment on its sovereignty; and the future of Taiwan must be decided in accordance with the will of its people.
The minister made the remarks in a written interview with Lorenzo Lamperti for articles published by the Italian daily La Stampa in both its online and paper editions.
According to Wu, Taiwan plays a key role in the global semiconductor industry and other high-tech fields. The world’s economic and trade developments will suffer tremendously if Taiwan falls under the control of an authoritarian regime, he said.
The international community’s overwhelming support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion is a wake-up call for China, as it now has to cautiously evaluate the cost of likely global sanctions if it attempts to attack Taiwan, the minister added.
Wu said that while Taiwan is on the front line of authoritarian coercion, cross-strait security is no longer a challenge for Taiwan alone. The minister called on the global community to stand with Taiwan, as stronger worldwide support will have a greater deterrent effect on China’s ambitious moves, he said. (SFC-E)
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