A senior Taiwanese general’s appearance in full uniform at a high-profile security forum in Poland signals closer security exchanges between Taipei and Warsaw, and reflects Europe’s growing concern over China’s military ambitions, experts said yesterday.
Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升), deputy chief of the Ministry of National Defense’s Office of the Deputy Chief of General Staff for Intelligence, attended the Warsaw Security Forum held on Monday and Tuesday in the Polish capital. Photographs and video released by the organizers showed Hsieh speaking onstage in full Republic of China Air Force uniform.
Chieh Chung (揭仲), an adjunct researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the conference is a non-governmental event that functions as “Track II diplomacy,” bringing together military, security and academic figures from around the world.
Photo: Screen grab from Warsaw Security Forum YouTube channel
Track II diplomacy refers to informal, unofficial contacts and dialogue conducted by non-state actors to facilitate communication and conflict resolution.
“If Polish authorities or other participants had been uncomfortable with seeing Hsieh wearing a uniform during his participation, he would have been in a suit,” Chieh told the Central News Agency, adding that this shows the European country is attaching higher importance to Taiwan’s security.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a division director at the institute, said that allowing a senior Taiwanese military official to appear in uniform and speak publicly demonstrated Europe’s increasing trust in Taipei.
It shows that European nations are recognizing the military threats posed by Beijing and the strategic importance of Taiwan, Su said.
The defense ministry said that Hsieh was invited to share perspectives and exchange experiences with international security experts, adding that the ministry seeks to raise global awareness of Taiwan Strait security issues through such forums.
Hsieh during his speech said that Taipei is closely watching the war in Ukraine, a Reuters report said.
“We wish for their victory,” he said, speaking in English, in footage streamed online from the event.
“There are many things that we can learn from the Ukrainian theater that we can elevate for our overall readiness,” Hsieh added. “The defeat of Ukraine will signal that China can take more aggression towards Taiwan.”
Hsieh raised the alarm about China and Russia’s joint military drills.
“If China moves on Taiwan while Russia increases its offensive in Ukraine, the world could face a two-front geopolitical crisis,” he said.
“Europe today, you are fighting for your own security. If you help us, we can prevent the possibility of war in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Hsieh added that Taiwan and Europe could learn from each other.
“We have been dealing with China’s gray zone operations for years. There is a tremendous [amount of experience about] how we counter disinformation that we can share with Europe, and also how we can benefit us, but also benefit European nations,” he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also spoke at the forum, calling for deeper economic cooperation between Europe and Taiwan to boost shared prosperity and innovation.
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