Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu (right) details Taiwan’s commitment to defending itself during an interview with Jack Tame of TVNZ from Taipei City. (MOFA)
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu said Taiwan is committed to defending itself and expanding cooperation with its like-minded partners to ensure regional peace and stability.
Wu made the remarks during an interview with Jack Tame from TVNZ for a segment aired May 7 on the New Zealand government-owned TV channel.
The government is preparing for possible military actions from China and considering how best to prevent a war from breaking out across the Taiwan Strait, the minister added. The Russia-Ukraine war has reaffirmed the people of Taiwan’s dedication to self-defense, Wu said, explaining that the government is taking lessons from Kyiv’s asymmetric combat strategies.
According to the minister, China’s ambition does not stop at Taiwan but reaches beyond the East and South China Seas to the entire Pacific. The security agreement concluded between China and the Solomon Islands in April 2022 and Beijing’s efforts to enhance cooperation with Kiribati in recent years are evidence of its intentions to extend military influence in the region, he said.
China’s authoritarian expansion puts democratic values at risk, the minister said, calling on members of the free world to work in concert to check Beijing’s military and economic coercion.
Wu said Taiwan and New Zealand both respect the rights of Indigenous people and support freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law both domestically and around the world. Trade between the two countries has been on the rise since the conclusion of an economic cooperation agreement in 2013, he added.
It is hoped that Auckland will keep supporting Taiwan’s participation in the U.N. and the country’s bid to take part in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership as a way to deepen bilateral exchanges across the board, he said. (SFC-E)
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