Taiwan needs European friends to maintain status quo, minister says
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu walks onstage during the European Values Summit in Prague, Czech Republic June 14, 2023. REUTERS
PRAGUE — Taiwan wants to secure peace and stability by maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait that it shares with China and needs the support of European states to do so, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Wednesday.
“In order for Taiwan to stay strong and resilient and to have the courage to continue the policy of maintaining the status quo, we do need support from European friends,” Wu said in a speech at a conference in the Czech capital, Prague.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
Wu said Taiwan was drawing lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to strengthen its resilience towards China, which he referred to by the initials of its official name, the People’s Republic of China.
“For many observers around the world, the (Chinese army) invasion may not be imminent or unavoidable and Taiwan and partners are trying to prevent it from happening,” Wu said.
Article continues after this advertisement“But the PRC is following Sun-tse’s ‘Art of War’, trying to crush the enemy without going to war. As we speak, the PRC is continuing to flex its muscle to intimidate Taiwan, including sending its war planes and vessels across the medium line of the Taiwan Strait.”
Article continues after this advertisementTaiwan has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican.
But it maintains extensive informal relations, and Central and Eastern European countries have been particularly keen to show support for Taiwan – especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – defying Beijing’s anger about such contacts and reducing Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation.
Wu spoke at a think tank event immediately after an opening speech by Czech President Petr Pavel, which Wu watched from the front row. Pavel left the room after speaking.
‘Even worse’
Wu, in speaking about the global impacts of the conflict in Ukraine, said war in the Taiwan Strait could be a “shockwave” for Europe if supply chains were disrupted.
“It will be the same or even worse if war is to break out in the Taiwan Strait where roughly half of the world’s container ships sail through and more than 90% of the most advanced computer or semiconductor chips are produced,” he said.
He also warned that Russia and China were cooperating more in military exercises in the western Pacific, the latest just last week, and that Russia’s “military might in the Far East seems to have remained relatively intact”.
“The Chinese leaders may have stopped talking about the limitless partnership with Russia, but their joint military exercises speak volumes,” said Wu, who is on is second trip to the central European NATO and European Union member after a 2021 visit.
On Tuesday, he met Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil, who has been at the forefront of Czech efforts to build closer relationship with Taiwan and visited it in 2020.
Two sources briefed on Wu’s trip, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak with the media, said Wu was also expected to visit Brussels, headquarters of the European Union.
China’s Foreign Ministry urged Europe last Friday not to have any official exchanges with Taiwan or support any “independence forces”.
Beijing accuses the island’s government led by President Tsai Ing-wen of seeking independence. She has vowed to maintain the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
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