Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu said Taiwan is strengthening the country’s combat preparedness and self-defense capabilities.
Wu made the remarks during an exclusive interview with Michael Muller for a special documentary aired March 29 on Strasbourg-based TV channel Arte.
According to the minister, China has not excluded the possibility of taking Taiwan by force nor expressed any interest in dialogue, but instead insists on unilateral acceptance of its so-called “one China” principle, which the Taiwan people will never accept.
Given the situation in Hong Kong, most people in Taiwan do not believe in Beijing’s “one country, two systems” approach, Wu said. Members of the free world need to work in unity to stop China from expanding its authoritarianism, he added.
Wu said China used former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit last August as an excuse to launch military exercises in waters and airspace near Taiwan, in addition to economic coercion, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is the largest chip foundry in the world and 85 percent of the chips it produces are made in Taiwan. Thus, the minister cautioned that there would be a huge impact on global supply chains if Taiwan loses its leadership position in the global semiconductor manufacturing sector, and that China’s economy would suffer as well. (SFC-E)
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