Taiwan minister warns of ‘domino effect’ if China takes island

WASHINGTON - China is preparing for war to take Taiwan, the island’s top China policymaker said in Washington on Sept 12, warning that if Taiwan were to fall, it would cause a regional “domino effect” that would threaten the security of the US.

Mr Chiu Chui-cheng, the Cabinet-ranked head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, told the Washington-based Heritage Foundation that China’s ruling Communist Party had long refused to renounce the use of force against democratically governed Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory.

Mr Chiu said that in seeking “unification with Taiwan”, China aimed to exclude US influence from the Asia-Pacific and ultimately replace the US as the global leader “in order to restore national glory and realise the so-called ‘China Dream’”.

He added that Beijing “has been actively preparing for war” and highlighted stepped-up Chinese military activity around the island.

“If Taiwan were to be taken over by China by force, it will trigger a domino effect, undermine the regional balance of power, and directly threaten the security and prosperity of the United States,” Mr Chiu said.

China said earlier on Sept 12 that its newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian,

had sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

When it enters service, the ship will enable the country to project power farther out into the Western Pacific.

The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, and Mr Chiu said Taipei appreciated the reaffirmation of that commitment under President Donald Trump.

He highlighted that Taiwan, the world’s leading producer of cutting-edge computer chips, is the hub of the global high-tech industry.

“If Taiwan’s role in this were to be compromised, it would be a huge loss to the international community, especially the US and its technology industry,” he said.

Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

Visits by senior Taiwanese officials to the US are rare compared with visits by major US allies, and their trips are generally much lower-profile.

China’s Washington embassy said Beijing stood ready “to work with the greatest sincerity and exert utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification” with Taiwan.

“Meanwhile, China will take all necessary measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ separatism and external interference,” its spokesman Liu Pengyu said in an e-mailed response when asked about Mr Chiu’s remarks.

Shortly before Mr Chiu’s speech, China’s military condemned the sailing of US and British warships through the Taiwan Strait.

The US Navy, and on occasion,

ships from allied countries including Canada

, Britain and France, transit the strait, which they consider an international waterway, around once a month.

China says the strategic waterway is part of its territorial waters. REUTERS