Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu said Taiwan is fully committed to safeguarding its homeland, sovereignty and democratic way of life.
Wu made the remarks during an interview Aug. 2 in Taipei City with Dene Chen and Amber Wang for an article and segment published the same day on Paris-based news outlet Agence France-Presse’s website and Youtube channel.
The reports have since appeared in many other major news outlets including France 24, The Straits Times of Singapore, U.S.’ Barrons, CNN India’s News 18 and Belgium’s Le Soir.
According to the minister, given Taiwan’s strategic position, a conflict across the Taiwan Strait would have disastrous results for the rest of the world, citing facts including that more than half of the world’s shipping containers pass through the waterway, and that more than 90 percent of the world’s advanced semiconductor chips are produced in Taiwan.
Facing China’s increasing military threats, Taiwan has enhanced its self-defense capabilities, drawing lessons from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war to develop asymmetrical strategies while canvassing global support, Wu said.
The minister also took the opportunity to thank Canada, the Czech Republic, EU, France, Germany, Lithuania, the U.K. and the U.S. for including regional peace and stability in their Indo-Pacific strategies.
In particular, Taiwan welcomes the inclusion of provisions relating to freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region in the 2024-2030 Military Programming Bill signed into law Aug. 1 by French President Emmanuel Macron, Wu said.
Such actions, as well as the support recently expressed by leaders of major democracies stressing the importance of cross-strait peace and stability and opposing unilateral changes to the status quo, all serve to deter China’s aggression, he added. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw