Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu (right) discusses cross-strait situations with Peter Stefanovic from Sky News Australia in Taipei City. (MOFA)
Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu said the people of Taiwan are committed to defending their democratic way of life, urging the global community to support Taiwan as the military threat from China increases.
Wu made the remarks during an exclusive interview in Taipei City with Peter Stefanovic of Sky News Australia for a segment aired Feb. 15 on the news network’s special program “Are We Ready for War?”
According to the minister, when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last August, China reacted disproportionally by firing missiles over Taiwan.
Beijing is also conducting disinformation campaigns, cognitive warfare and economic coercion against Taiwan as an attempt to create a so-called “new normal” and unilaterally change the cross-strait status quo, he added.
Wu said China seems to be preparing for a military assault on Taiwan, citing Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s remarks that China would never renounce the use of force against Taiwan, as well as the increasing number of sorties by its warplanes in recent years.
If China does strike, it will destabilize peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and have a tremendous impact on the rest of the world, Wu said. Since Taiwan accounts for more than 90 percent of the global production of advanced semiconductor chips, an attack would severely interrupt global supply chains and jeopardize global economy, he added.
Taiwan is a democracy, and Taiwan and China do not have jurisdiction over each other, the minister said, adding that most surveys show the people of Taiwan prefer the status quo.
Taiwan does not wish to see a war break out across the strait, as no one benefits from war, Wu said. He called on members of the free world to send a clear message to Beijing that its military threat against Taiwan will not be tolerated by the global community. (SFC-E)
