Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu gave exclusive interviews to three U.S. media outlets April 10 in Taipei City, reaffirming Taiwan’s commitment to defending itself and urging the global community to deter China’s aggression.
During his interview with NBC News, Wu said while Taiwan is working hard to maintain the cross-strait status quo, at the same time the government is fully committed to enhancing self-defense capabilities.
China presents a real and escalating military threat and thus continuous support from the U.S. is vital to Taiwan, Wu said, adding that the democratic world should not tolerate Beijing’s military coercion.
Wu said in a separate interview with the Washington Examiner that U.S. military purchases are important to strengthen Taiwan’s combat readiness, in addition to government development of asymmetrical strategies and construction of indigenous naval vessels.
The minister cautioned the global community that China’s ambition does not stop at Taiwan. A free and democratic life is under existential threat if Beijing’s expansionism is not stopped.
In his interview with Fox News, Wu said Taiwan produces more than 90 percent of the global supply of high-end chips, while 40 percent of global marine cargo traffic passes through the Taiwan Strait.
Wu said the whole world will suffer if the global semiconductor supply chain or strait maritime passage is disrupted as a result of China’s aggression. He also took the opportunity to thank the U.S. government and congress for their staunch support. (SFC-E)
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