Taiwan is making every effort to prevent war in the face of China’s hybrid coercion tactics and military threats, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said in an interview with German public broadcaster ARD’s program Weltspiegel that aired on Monday.
Taiwan is not seeking provocation or intending to disrupt international order, but “must possess the capacity for self-defense,” a news release issued by the Presidential Office yesterday quoted her as saying.
Taiwan is closely watching not only the increasing scope and frequency of Chinese military exercises around the nation, but also Beijing’s hybrid and cognitive warfare tactics, including manipulating public opinion, fostering economic dependence and carrying out political infiltration to influence Taiwanese society, she said.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
Taiwan has to remain flexible and pragmatic under difficult circumstances, and maintain its self-defense capabilities, she added.
Beijing must be constantly reminded that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are a shared global interest, and that any threat to Taiwan would disrupt international trade and supply chains, she said.
The 20-minute episode, titled “Taiwan — Living Under Threat,” explored how Taiwan continues to endure amid China’s growing threat, examined Europe’s role in promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and drew parallels between Taiwan’s situation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Weltspiegel has aired a series of reports related to Taiwan, including interviews with fishers in Lienchiang County (Matsu), coverage of Taiwan’s LGBTQ+ Pride Parade and features on China’s military expansion across the South China Sea and Pacific island nations.
In the latest episode, ARD first asked Hsiao about her well-known “cat warrior” analogy for Taiwan.
Taiwan is like a cat — it can be cute and friendly, but if backed against a wall, it will attack, she said.
Taiwanese love peace and helping others, hoping to be a positive force in the world, and even though it has not always been treated fairly by the international community, Taiwan still hopes to make real contributions to the world, she said.
Taiwanese remain steadfast in defending their freedom and way of life, she said.
Asked about Beijing saying that the Democratic Progressive Party government is “promoting separatism” and causing cross-strait tensions, Hsiao said that if peace and stability in the region were to be undermined, the international community would know that Beijing is the root of the problem.
Asked if Taiwan is a part of China, Hsiao said: “Taiwan, or the Republic of China as stated in our Constitution, has always existed.”
Taiwan’s government is chosen through democratic elections, so Taiwan’s sovereignty “belongs to the Taiwanese people,” she added.
However, Taiwan is willing to engage in dialogue with Beijing, provided it is based on mutual respect and equality, Hsiao said, adding that maintaining the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait is in the shared interests of both sides.
Speaking about China’s economic leverage, Hsiao said that since China’s economic reforms, many Taiwanese companies have pursued opportunities through investment and trade, but Beijing has increasingly politicized economic relations and sought to create trade dependence.
Taiwan respects free trade and market principles, but does not accept threats or coercion as part of economic engagement, she said, adding that many Taiwanese companies have since diversified their global strategies.
Hsiao also urged German businesses to “not put all their eggs in one basket.”
Asked to compare the Taiwan Strait situation with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and how a Russian victory might affect Taiwan, Hsiao replied: “There are no winners in war.”
History has shown that aggression can never achieve true victory, she said, adding that democracies must stand united against aggression to defend their hard-won freedoms.
Hsiao thanked Germany for its continued support of Taiwan and regional peace in international forums.
As Taiwan’s most important trading partner in Europe, Germany maintains close cooperation with the nation in the semiconductor and microelectronics sectors, and as artificial intelligence continues to develop, that partnership is expected to deepen, she said.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
Temperatures in some parts of Taiwan are expected to fall sharply to lows of 15°C later this week as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. It is to be the strongest cold wave to affect northern Taiwan this autumn, while Chiayi County in the southwest and some parts of central Taiwan are likely to also see lower temperatures due to radiational cooling, which occurs under conditions of clear skies, light winds and dry weather, the CWA said. Across Taiwan, temperatures are to fall gradually this week, dropping to 15°C to 16°C in the early hours of Wednesday
RSS