Taiwan needs European friends to maintain status quo in strait, minister says

PRAGUE – Taiwan wants to secure peace and stability by maintaining the status quo in its relationship with neighbouring China and needs the support of European states to do so, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in Prague on Wednesday.

“In order for Taiwan to stay strong and resilient and to have the courage to continue the policy of maintaining the status quo, we do need support from European friends,” Mr Wu said in a speech at a conference in the Czech capital.

Mr Wu said Taiwan was drawing lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to strengthen its resilience to intimidation from China, which he referred to by the initials of its official name, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

“For many observers around the world, the (Chinese army) invasion may not be imminent or unavoidable, and Taiwan and partners are trying to prevent it from happening,” Mr Wu said.

“But the PRC is following Sun Tzu’s Art Of War, trying to crush the enemy without going to war. As we speak, the PRC is continuing to flex its muscle to intimidate Taiwan, including sending its warplanes and vessels across the median line of the Taiwan Strait.” 

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control.

Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and says that only the island’s people can decide their future.

Taiwan has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican.

But there are extensive informal relations.

Central and Eastern European countries have been particularly keen to show support for Taiwan – especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – defying Beijing’s anger about such contacts and reducing Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation.

Mr Wu spoke at a think-tank event immediately after an opening speech by Czech President Petr Pavel, which Mr Wu watched from the front row. Mr Pavel left the room after his speech.

Mr Wu, in speaking about the global impacts of the conflict in Ukraine, said war in the Taiwan Strait, the waterway separating Taiwan from China, could be a “shockwave” for Europe if supply chains were disrupted. “It will be the same or even worse if war were to break out in the Taiwan Strait, which roughly half of the world’s container ships sail through,” he said, adding that Taiwan produces more than 90 per cent of the most advanced computer or semiconductor chips in the world.

He also warned that Russia and China were cooperating more in military exercises in the western Pacific, with the latest held just last week, and that Russia’s military might in East Asia “seems to have remained relatively intact”.

“The Chinese leaders may have stopped talking about the limitless partnership with Russia, but their joint military exercises speak volumes,” said Mr Wu, who visited the

Czech Republic in 2021

and is on his second trip to the Nato and European Union member country.

On Tuesday, he met Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil, who has been at the forefront of Czech efforts to build a closer relationship with Taiwan and

visited the island in 2020.

Two sources briefed on Mr Wu’s trip, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said he was expected to visit Brussels, headquarters of the EU.

The Chinese embassy in Prague did not reply to separate requests for comment on Tuesday and Wednesday.

China’s Foreign Ministry urged Europe last Friday not to have any official exchanges with Taiwan or support “independence forces”.

Beijing accuses the island’s government, led by President Tsai Ing-wen, of seeking independence. Ms Tsai has vowed to maintain the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. REUTERS