Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu fields a question during his exclusive interview with Helen Davidson of U.K. daily The Guardian Dec. 2 in Taipei City. (MOFA)
 

Taiwan is working with like-minded partners to safegaurd peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific while striving to share its successful COVID-19 response via meaningful participation in international organizations, Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu said Dec. 7.

As a front-line state facing the spectre of rising authoritarianism, Taiwan is determined to strengthen its defense capabilities, Wu said. To this end, the government will continue procuring arms from the U.S. while coordinating with key partners like Australia and Japan on sharing intelligence, he added.

Wu made the remarks during an exclusive interview with locally based Helen Davidson of U.K. daily The Guardian Dec. 2 in Taipei City.

According to Wu, Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations such as the World Health Organization is necessary for the country to share its coronavirus-combating expertise. This exclusion jeopardizes the right to health of Taiwan’s 23 million people, and is unfair to other members of the global community, he said.

Wu also urged economies worldwide to support Taiwan and rethink trade ties with China as a way of countering its expansionism. Case in point are recent attempts by Beijing to weaponize economic exhanges with Australia, he said, adding that fighitng alone is not a solution.

In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “Read Minister Wu’s hard-hitting interview with @heldavidson. Learn why he believes the international community must join in resisting authoritarianism & supporting #Taiwan. ‘The like-minded countries need to come together, & we’ll be #StrongerTogether.’” (YCH-E)