Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu said Taiwan is fully committed to enhancing its self-defense capabilities to protect its democratic way of life.
Wu made the remarks during an interview July 18 in Taipei City with Nicola Smith for an article published Aug. 1 in the digital and print editions of British news outlet The Telegraph.
According to the minister, China threatens Taiwan even as it pushes for peace in Ukraine. Beijing cannot be trusted as a peace negotiator while it holds itself to such a double standard, he said.
Taiwan’s public and private sectors, on the other hand, have been consistent in their commitment to humanitarian aid and reconstruction funds in Ukraine, the minister said. He added that individual volunteers have also taken steps to distribute resources in the Eastern European country or directly join the fighting in the war against Russia.
Even as Taiwan offers its full support to Ukraine, it is drawing lessons from the war, Wu said, adding that the government is continually improving Taiwan’s combat preparedness by procuring defensive weaponry from the U.S., implementing military reform and extending compulsory military service, among other measures.
The minister also took the opportunity to thank like-minded partners such as the U.K., Canada, France, Germany, the U.S. and the Netherlands for expressing concern about the situation in the Taiwan Strait, opposing unilateral changes to the status quo and sending military vessels to ensure freedom of navigation in the region.
Such actions drive the point home to China that if it launches a war against Taiwan, there will be consequences, he said, as the world of democracy won’t sit idle.
Wu also cautioned that China’s expansionism will not stop with Taiwan, adding that its military footprint is already spreading across the region and beyond. The only way to counter Beijing’s global ambitions is for countries with shared values to cooperate, he said. (SFC-E)
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