Taiwanese should learn from what happened to Ukraine and never accept any peaceful settlements proposed by China, former Ukrainian lawmaker Hanna Hopko told a security conference in Taipei on Friday.
Hopko was addressing the Taiwan-Czechia-Ukraine Forum hosted by Prague-headquartered think tank European Values Center for Security Policy (EVC).
She said that since Russia in 2014 annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula on the northern coast of the Black Sea, Ukrainians have heard a great deal about how their country should make “a peaceful settlement” or find “political, diplomatic solutions” with Russia.
Photo: CNA
Hopko, who is chairwoman of the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Action Center, said her country has come “under pressure” from its Western partners to make peace with Russia.
“The result of such an approach is genocide,” Hopko said, urging Taiwan to “learn the lesson” of Ukraine and “never trust or believe your neighbor with expansionist ambitions.”
Taiwanese should keep in mind what she called “hybrid methods” utilized by the likes of Russia and China, she said.
The Russian operatives have bribed Ukrainian politicians, infiltrated Ukrainian institutions and invested heavily in propaganda within Ukraine for decades, with the aim of expanding Russian influence while dividing Ukrainian society, she said.
Hopko said democracies around the world should abandon a long-standing policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan and instead adopt “strategic clarity” so as not to repeat the tragedy of Ukraine in Taiwan.
The US over the past few decades has maintained a stance characterized as “strategic ambiguity,” under which Washington remains vague about whether it would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.
Hopko also said that Western powers opposing the invasion of Ukraine should make “decisive actions” to stop the war and help Ukraine win its fight instead of hesitate in the wake of nuclear threats.
If Western countries allow Russia to “blackmail the whole world with the use of nuclear power,” it would give China the impression that it could do the same to prevent intervention by the international community if it attacks Taiwan.
Taiwan should try to convince the US to abandon strategic ambiguity, as it could be regarded by China as a “weakness,” Lithuanian lawmaker Zygimantas Pavilionis said.
“You have to be very clear about what is the red line that [your enemies] cannot even think to cross,” said Pavilionis, deputy chair of the Committee on European Affairs in the Lithuanian parliament.
Taiwan should continue to arm itself, as eventually Taiwanese would be the ones defending their country should China launch an invasion, he said.
Pavilionis also urged Taiwan to reduce its trade dependence on China, saying that it is “a suicide mission” if the county continues to “put all the money in China’s pockets.”
Last year, 42 percent of Taiwan’s exports went to China, and 22 percent of Taiwanese imports came from the country, Bureau of Foreign Trade data showed.
EVC director Jakub Janda said that Friday’s conference was part of efforts by the think tank to foster exchanges between Taiwan and European nations on defense and security policies.
The think tank, which established an office in Taipei in January, aims to facilitate political ties between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, Janda said, adding Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova is planning to lead a delegation to Taiwan next spring.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS