Taiwan calls for Western support against China’s hostilities

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  Sjoerd den Daas

  corresponding China

China’s global ambitions are increasingly felt in Taiwan. The West must be fully prepared for China preparing for a military invasion of Taiwan. With that warning comes Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu News time. “Other countries can help us against hostilities from China.”

Tomorrow, people in Taiwan will be able to go to the polls in local elections. These are mainly local issues, but the tense relationship with China is never far away. “Every time people go to the voting booth to vote, it’s a confirmation that Taiwan is a democracy. That Taiwan is not under the jurisdiction of any other country,” Wu said.

In times of rising tensions with China, it’s good to let Taiwanese feel they are not alone, Wu says. “That we have good friends who support us. And that the international community sees us as a shining example of political development for the rest of the countries in our area”. Earlier this week, Wu said Chinese interference “wasn’t as widespread” as in previous elections.

News time talk to Wu about the consequences of the military pressure China is increasingly building. Consequences that will also be felt in the rest of the world. It’s about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ongoing military exercises in China have parallels to that invasion, Wu thinks.

“People are now asking why we didn’t stop Russia in Crimea in 2014, why the war in Ukraine is now endangering Europe. This argument also applies to Taiwan. China is harassing Taiwan, threatening us and trying to take over Taiwan”.

Take out two boxing gloves. “From the mayor of Kiev,” he says of the former world boxing champion. “Thanks for our support.” He says he never needs it. “Let’s hope no war ever breaks out, but we will defend ourselves like the Ukrainians are doing now.”

Wu also looks to Hong Kong, where China has cracked down on secessionist, foreign and subversive interference with a special “security law.” “The West, the Western democracies, condemned and sanctioned the Chinese. But that wasn’t enough to stop China from imposing its will on Hong Kong. And now there is no freedom there, nothing more.”

Wu: “The whole world is now asking questions similar to those after the annexation of Crimea: who is the next victim of China’s ambitious dream? Many people were already talking about Taiwan, which is why we could not stop Hong Kong. China is now putting all the pressure on Taiwan and it will eventually be more than just Taiwan.”

It refers to China’s ambitions inside and outside the region. The South China Sea, for example, but also further afield. “When you look at Chinese stocks and their influence in Africa, parts of Europe, I think we should be concerned if Taiwan falls. Who will be next or what will happen next?”

The show of force around Taiwan has increased considerably in recent times, with Beijing using the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a subject for large-scale military exercises.

The planes of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army are heard every day. Wu: “This year already more than 2700 times in our air defense zone.” Nearly three times higher than the 2021 figure. “China’s military preparations appear to be gaining momentum.”

An armed conflict will also have far-reaching consequences for the global economy. Taiwanese chip maker TSMC does something no other country can do.

He doesn’t want to risk a timeline for a possible invasion. “It’s hard to predict,” she says, asking if he sees an apocalyptic scenario of an invasion happening in the next five years. Party chief and Chinese president Xi Jinping spoke clearly at the last congress of the Communist Party of China, where he was re-elected president: China is determined to reunite the ‘renegade’ Taiwan, de facto independent for decades, with the mainland.

If China invades Taiwan, it will ask the West for help. America can then be drawn into the battle. US President Joe Biden has already announced that the US military will defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion. “That’s very nice of Biden,” Wu says. “We work closely with the United States, but ultimately our defense is our responsibility. We have the will and the ability to do so.”

Wu thinks the situation is now even more risky due to, among other things, the shaky economic situation in China caused by the covid lockdowns and the dissatisfaction of the Chinese population with the ongoing crisis the real estate market. “If China has enough social problems, I think it might want to create an external crisis to divert domestic attention. And then Taiwan would be the first scapegoat.”

Wu, “for life” on China’s sanctions list (“A badge of honour”) because Beijing sees him as a separatist, says the Taiwanese government is willing to talk to Beijing. “The door is wide open for discussion. But on the basis of equality and mutual respect.”

The vast majority of Taiwanese want to maintain the current status quo. Wu: “This is also the government’s position. But if China uses or threatens to use military force, Taiwan will be very firm.”