It is concerning that Taiwanese do not seem to be paying much attention to what is happening in Ukraine, as the Russian military’s build-up brings the region to the brink of war, and the US and Russian governments continue to probe each other.
In a way, this is understandable, as Ukraine is a long way from Taiwan and far from the preoccupations of ordinary Taiwanese.
As a former diplomat, I feel it is my responsibility to help Taiwanese understand the importance of paying attention to the crisis.
During a segment on CNN’s State of the Union, host Jake Tapper asked US Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield: “Do you think [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping, 習近平] is watching the US and NATO response to Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine to determine whether or not China should move even more aggressively on Taiwan?”
“We saw in the [UN] Security Council China side with Russia in the efforts to block the Security Council from having a meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine, but as it relates to Taiwan and China, we are committed to protecting the security and supporting the security of the people of Taiwan, while at the same time our policy has always been to recognize the ‘one China’ policy,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “So, if China is making efforts toward Taiwan because of what they see happening in Ukraine, these are two different types of situations.”
Essentially, the UN representative was telling China that no matter what happens in Ukraine, the US sides with Taiwan and would protect Taiwanese, warning the Chinese Communist Party not to misjudge the situation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi put on a show of unity prior to the Beijing Winter Olympics, issuing a joint statement in which they opposed the further expansion of NATO. Putin also expressed his opposition to independence for Taiwan.
The explicit mention of the Taiwan issue in the joint declaration is clearly dangerous for Taiwan, which is why Thomas-Greenfield said that the meeting between Putin and Xi “reinforced our resolve that we have to continue to fight for democratic values.”
The issue regarding NATO expansion is a complex one, and Taiwan is not a northern European country, so its issues and policies are not likely to have a direct bearing on situations in that region.
There are many opinions on whether it is right to support Ukraine joining NATO, even within the US.
US Senator Josh Hawley, for example, is clear about his anti-China stance. He sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stating his opposition to the US supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership and his belief that China is the US’ greatest enemy, not Russia.
Taiwan has yet to have any meaningful debate about an international “collective security” mechanism. It is only because of the tensions in Ukraine that there has been more discussion on Article 5 — “Collective defense means that an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies” — and Article 10 — “the parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European state in a position to further the principles of this treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area to accede to this treaty” — of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty.
The collective security concept entails obligations and responsibilities, not just unidirectional security guarantees.
Taiwanese need to increase their awareness of the Ukraine crisis and understand the practical implications of the concept of collective security described in the North Atlantic Treaty.
The Ukraine crisis has already sounded the alarm for the Taiwan Strait issue. In US-Russia-China relations, Taiwan represents a more significant strategic role than it has up to now.
Jerry Liu is the director of the New Power Party’s international affairs department and a former diplomat.
Translated by Paul Cooper
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long been expansionist and contemptuous of international law. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the CCP regime has become more despotic, coercive and punitive. As part of its strategy to annex Taiwan, Beijing has sought to erase the island democracy’s international identity by bribing countries to sever diplomatic ties with Taipei. One by one, China has peeled away Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic partners, leaving just 12 countries (mostly small developing states) and the Vatican recognizing Taiwan as a sovereign nation. Taiwan’s formal international space has shrunk dramatically. Yet even as Beijing has scored diplomatic successes, its overreach
After 37 US lawmakers wrote to express concern over legislators’ stalling of critical budgets, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) pledged to make the Executive Yuan’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget a top priority for legislative review. On Tuesday, it was finally listed on the legislator’s plenary agenda for Friday next week. The special defense budget was proposed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration in November last year to enhance the nation’s defense capabilities against external threats from China. However, the legislature, dominated by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), repeatedly blocked its review. The
In her article in Foreign Affairs, “A Perfect Storm for Taiwan in 2026?,” Yun Sun (孫韻), director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said that the US has grown indifferent to Taiwan, contending that, since it has long been the fear of US intervention — and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) inability to prevail against US forces — that has deterred China from using force against Taiwan, this perceived indifference from the US could lead China to conclude that a window of opportunity for a Taiwan invasion has opened this year. Most notably, she observes that
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said on Monday that it would be announcing its mayoral nominees for New Taipei City, Yilan County and Chiayi City on March 11, after which it would begin talks with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to field joint opposition candidates. The KMT would likely support Deputy Taipei Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) as its candidate for New Taipei City. The TPP is fielding its chairman, Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), for New Taipei City mayor, after Huang had officially announced his candidacy in December last year. Speaking in a radio program, Huang was asked whether he would join Lee’s
RSS