In the face of a Chinese “final assault,” Taiwan is looking for tangible Australian support for Taiwanese participation in international affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said in an interview with the Sydney-based Australian Financial Review.
Taiwan urges Australia to stand together with Taiwan to fight Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) expansionism in the democratic world, Wu said in the interview published yesterday.
Wu was interviewed by journalist Michael Smith via videoconference on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
While the threat of a Chinese invasion is “not imminent,” a military confrontation with China is a genuine threat that Canberra understands, Wu said.
“China is engaged in isolating Taiwan from the international arena, trying to engage in disinformation ... or hybrid warfare, and intensifying its military threat against Taiwan. [It] seems to be preparing for a final assault against Taiwan,” Wu said.
“I don’t want to say that a war in between Taiwan and China is imminent,” but the Taiwanese government needs to be prepared for it, he said, adding that it is not only the Ministry of National Defense, but the whole government that is preparing for a possible military assault by China.
Taiwanese and Australians both believe in freedom, democracy and human rights, Wu said, adding that he believed that Australians would consider speaking out for Taiwan a good thing.
Taiwan does not want to see China’s definition of order, which is based on aggressive expansionism and authoritarianism, replicated in Taiwan, Wu said.
He urged democratic countries that share the same values to form an alliance to resist Chinese authoritarianism.
Wu called on Canberra to strengthen Taiwan-Australia economic ties and to restart talks for a free-trade agreement, adding that it was possible for Taiwan to apply and join the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year.
Speaking on the issue of a potential Taiwan-Australia military collaboration, Wu said that the issue might be a little overblown.
Taiwan is making preparations for the eventuality of a Chinese invasion, and it is glad to hear that the tough responses of the US, Japan and Australia to Chinese expansionism, he said.
In its most recent foreign affairs and national defense talks with Japan on March 16, the US affirmed the importance of stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government has also increased its hawkish rhetoric against China.
Wu sidestepped the question of whether high-level Taiwanese officials were in dialogue with Morrison or Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, only saying that the Taiwanese government has been in contact with “some Australian government officials.”
Asked if President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would talk with Morrison, Wu said that if there is such a plan, it would be kept low-profile.
Taiwan respects the decisions that the Australian government make in its best national interests, he added.
What Taiwan really needs from Australia is its tangible support for Taiwan’s participation in the international community, Wu said.
SELF-RELIANCE: Taiwan would struggle to receive aid in the event of an invasion, so it must prepare to ‘hold its own’ for the first 70 days of a war, a defense expert said Taiwan should strengthen infrastructure, stock up on reserves and step up efforts to encourage Taiwanese to fight against an enemy, legislators and experts said on Tuesday last week. The comments sought to summarize what the nation should learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has exceeded 300 days, since Feb. 24 last year. Institute of National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said that the war in Ukraine highlighted the importance of being ready for war. Taiwan’s development of an “asymmetrical warfare” doctrine and extending mandatory conscription to one year is a good start to preparation of defense against a
 - Copy.jpg)
The Tourism Bureau plans to offer incentives to attract international tourists as the nation plans to gradually lift all travel restrictions to contain COVID-19, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday. The incentives would be funded by surplus national tax revenue from last year, Wang said. The funding could be appropriated after the legislature passes draft special statutes governing the use of the surplus tax revenue in the upcoming legislative session, he said. Of the NT$450 billion (US$14.97 billion) in surplus tax revenue, the government plans to spend NT$100 billion on seven categories of projects to bolster Taiwan’s
The Central Epidemic Command Center yesterday said it would delay the lifting of the indoor mask mandate, citing public health considerations and ongoing discussions on how the policy should be implemented. Earlier this week, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman, said officials from several ministries were working on the policy and an announcement would be made yesterday. However, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC, yesterday said that the policy was still under review. Wang said its implementation would be “delayed slightly” due to three main factors. First, the center
Retired US admiral Philip Davidson, who in 2021 warned of a potential Chinese conflict with Taiwan by 2027, is in Taiwan to discuss regional security-related issues. He was the head of the US Indo-Pacific Command at the time. Davidson is part of a six-member delegation from US-based think tank the National Bureau of Asian Research that arrived in Taiwan on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. The group is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and visit two government-funded non-governmental organizations — the Institute for National Defense and Security Research and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy — to exchange
RSS