In an interview with Sky News Australia, broadcast on December 5, 2021, Foreign Minister Wu Chiu-sup gave an in-depth explanation of cross-strait relations, Taiwan’s response to the Chinese Communist threat, and the importance of Taiwan to Australia. (Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
In an exclusive interview with Australian media, Foreign Minister Wu Chiu-sup pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will not give up on forceful aggression against Taiwan, and that Taiwan is on the front line of resistance against the authoritarian regime, calling for caution against the possibility of a third world war caused by CCP expansionism.
Wu was interviewed by Sky News Australia’s Global Focus, a new political program hosted by former Australian Defense Minister Christopher Pyne.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China, Minister Wu gave an in-depth explanation of cross-strait relations, Taiwan’s response to the Chinese Communist threat, and the importance of Taiwan to Australia.
Taiwan’s international partners have continued to increase in recent years in the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s suppression
Wu pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party claims that Taiwan is part of the Chinese (Communist) Republic and does not allow Taiwan to use the name Taiwan or the Republic of China in the international arena; in fact, Taiwan has never been under the rule of the People’s Republic of China. “Taiwan has a democratically elected government and has been a mature democracy since 1996 when the first direct presidential election was held and after several party alternations.”
He said Taiwan has continued to actively participate in international affairs and contribute to the international community, even in the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s suppression. In response to the moderator’s question about why Beijing has not taken military action to reunify Taiwan in the past 70 years, he said the Chinese Communist Party launched several military conflicts on Taiwan’s outer islands between the late 1950s and 1970s, but they were successfully repelled by Taiwan, maintaining the separation of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
“However, the Chinese Communist Party has expanded its armaments during these decades, and the threat Taiwan faces is far greater than in the past.” Wu said that in order to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan has adopted a cautious policy toward China and is willing to negotiate and dialogue with the CCP to resolve differences between the two sides; at the same time, Taiwan also continues to strengthen its self-defense and conducts strategic security dialogues with many like-minded countries, including the United States.
ROC Foreign Minister Wu Chiu-sup is interviewed by Christopher Pyne, host of Global Focus with Christopher Pyne on Sky News Australia, to be broadcast on December 5, 2021. (Courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Wu stressed that Taiwan’s international partners have continued to grow in recent years, especially with Australia, and that the Australian government has been actively supporting Taiwan’s international participation in recent years, which has been reflected in statements such as the U.S.-Australia 2+2 talks.
In addition, he said, the foreign ministers’ and leaders’ meetings of the Group of Seven (G7) this year also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, highlighting the results of Taiwan’s recent efforts to gain the support of the international community.
Wu also elaborated on Taiwan’s importance to the international community from the economic, strategic security and value perspectives. On the economic level, Taiwan is the 25th largest economy in the world and Australia’s 8th largest trading partner. Taiwan plays an important role in the global semiconductor industry supply chain, and many automotive industries have requested Taiwan’s assistance in providing automotive chips.
Communist China seeks to seize Taiwan Wu Chiu-sup: The U.S., Japan and other countries have recognized Taiwan’s key strategic position
As for the strategic security level, he said, Taiwan is located in the center of the first island chain, when the Chinese Communist Party is expanding its authoritarianism abroad, and gradually penetrate the Pacific region, if the Chinese Communist Party seizes Taiwan, it will have a profound impact on global strategic security, the United States, Japan and other countries have therefore recognized the key strategic position of Taiwan.
In addition, he said, Taiwan’s adherence to the values of freedom and democracy has been recognized by the international community, and Taiwan has the determination and obligation to safeguard its sovereignty and democratic way of life. Taiwan shares the universal values of democracy and freedom with Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Japan, and is at the forefront of the fight against the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party, and expects more support from its democratic partners.
In a video interview with Australian media, Wu mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party has reiterated the use of force against Taiwan if necessary, and that whenever authoritarian regimes face domestic difficulties, they seek external crises or conflicts to divert attention at home. Unfortunately, Taiwan’s close proximity to China makes it an easy scapegoat for the Chinese Communist government.
He reminded that expansionism by force had triggered the Second World War. The Communist Party claims the East China Sea, Taiwan and the South China Sea are all Chinese (communist) countries, and has even broken out into border conflicts with India. The Chinese government has been pursuing expansionism by force, so one must be wary of the possibility that the Communist Party could trigger World War III. He pointed out that after the Chinese Communist Party took Hong Kong, which was once a symbol of freedom in East Asia, many people believe that the next step will be to get their hands on Taiwan.
He said that the Chinese Communist Party’s path of expansion by force continues to extend beyond the first island chain, and then into the Pacific Ocean, the South China Sea, and even the Indian Ocean. He said it was in the best interests of all parties to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and therefore the need to preserve the “status quo that Taiwan is not under Chinese communist rule”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Sky News Australia host Pyne, who was formerly Australia’s defense minister, came to Taiwan in 2019 as a featured speaker at the Ketagalan Forum and met with President Tsai Ing-wen, an important friend of the Republic of China. The channel is an influential media outlet with a viewership of not only Australia but also New Zealand.
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