Taiwan should learn from Ukraine’s creative communications with the world in the wake of Russia’s invasion, Hoover Institution senior fellow Larry Diamond said on Monday.
Diamond was speaking in San Francisco as part of a roundtable on China organized by the institution at Stanford University.
Ukraine in its response to the Russian invasion has adopted imaginative ways of communicating with the outside world, Diamond said.
Photo: CNA
For example, never before has the leader of a democratic nation spoken to another nation’s legislature while under siege as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has done, he said, praising the novel use of videoconference technology.
Zelenskiy has spoken via videoconference with the European Parliament, the British parliament and US Congress, and plans to speak to the Japanese parliament today.
Scenes of courage and messages from Ukraine have touched hearts the world over, with Zelenskiy’s olive-green T-shirt becoming a symbol for the nation’s resistance, Diamond said.
In Taiwan’s case, although President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) cannot formally visit the US for fear of enraging Beijing, Diamond said that it might be possible to hold talks via videoconference instead.
Considering that Taiwan already has a vibrant communications and social media landscape, Diamond said it could learn from Ukraine and anticipates dialogue once the conflict subsides.
As opposed to democratic leaders, autocratic rulers such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) are “risk-takers,” Diamond said.
The world underestimated Putin’s willingness to take risks, but now everyone will know not to underestimate Xi, he said.
As for when Xi might act against Taiwan, Diamond predicted that “two to five years” is the most likely timeframe.
Xi is unlikely to make any aggressive moves until after he successfully extends his presidency and begins his new term, he said.
Meanwhile, former US national security adviser H.R. McMaster suggested that the US “do what it did not do” for Ukraine in 2014 and ensure that Taiwan has the defense capabilities it needs.
He is concerned about two upcoming dates: this autumn, when the Chinese Communist Party holds its 20th Congress, and in 2025, when its advanced weapons systems are expected to enter service.
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