Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Thursday that halting U.S. weapons deliveries to Ukraine would embolden China to commit aggression against Taiwan and fuel Beijing’s propaganda that the United States is an unreliable partner.
“When people ask us if the United States can leave Ukraine, the answer is no, because the world doesn’t work in black and white or if you only look at one theater at a time,” he added. he said. “The world is interconnected.”
He added that if Russia is able to occupy most of Ukraine and declare victory, “it will be seen as a victory for authoritarian states because Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are now interconnected.”
Mr. Wu’s remarks, made in a wide-ranging, hour-long interview in Taipei, come because the Biden administration tries to get Congress to pass an extra financial package that will provide $60 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Many House Republicans adamantly oppose more aid to Ukraine, adopting the “America First” stance adopted by former President Donald J. Trump, a pro-Russian candidate who urged them to reject the package. They have said for months that they might be willing to consider providing more aid to Kiev if the Biden administration imposed tough immigration restrictions on the U.S.-Mexico border. But under pressure from Trump, they opposed a funding package that will make it possible, calling the border measures too weak.
The package also includes $8 billion in aid to fight China within the Asia-Pacific region, of which $1.9 billion is intended to replenish stocks of U.S. weapons sent to Taiwan. It includes $14.1 billion in military aid to Israel.
Some Republican lawmakers argue that China poses a greater threat than Russia and that funds proposed for Ukraine ought to be spent on countering China. But other Republican officials in Congress and lots of Democrats are making the identical argument as Mr. Wu: that Taiwan’s security is tied to Ukraine’s security because China will see U.S. weakness – and a greater probability of success in a possible invasion of Taiwan – if Ukraine is defeated.
Chinese leaders have been saying for many years that Taiwan, a de facto independent island, have to be brought under Communist Party rule, by force if obligatory. Chinese leader Xi Jinping continues to promote this position.
The governments of the United States and Taiwan try to dissuade China from plans to invade Taiwan, including by increase troops within the region and strengthening alliances with other democratic countries.
If the United States leaves Ukraine, Wu said, China will “take it as an indication” that if it is able to proceed its sustained actions against Taiwan, “the United States will withdraw, the United States and its allies will withdraw.” According to him, the considering of Chinese officials can be: “OK, if Russia could do it, we can do it too.”
“Therefore, the determination of the United States to provide support to countries suffering from authoritarian aggression is very important,” Wu said.
After withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, China spread propaganda on traditional state media and social media that “the United States’ commitment to anything is indecisive,” Wu said. “We have suffered from a huge wave of cognitive warfare.”
China is also spreading disinformation, highlighting Russian narratives in regards to the war, Wu said, including the view that NATO expansion forced President Vladimir Putin to attack Ukraine and that the United States is ultimately not committed to supporting Ukraine.
On the eve of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Putin visited Xi in Beijing, and the 2 governments announced an “unlimited” partnership.
Wu said some Central and Eastern European countries eager to forge anti-authoritarian partnerships strengthened their relations with Taiwan in the course of the war.
His comments in regards to the need for the United States to proceed supporting Taiwan echo those of other senior Taiwanese officials. In May 2023, Bi-khim Hsiao, then Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States and now future vice chairman, made similar arguments to reporters in Washington.
And in February, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, said during a visit to U.S. lawmakers in Taiwan that current President Tsai Ing-wen and President-elect Lai Ching-te made it clear to lawmakers that “if for some reason the Ukrainians did not win, what will only encourage hostilities against Taiwan.”
