No democracy should be threatened by an authoritarian country’: Taiwan foreign minister’s message to China
Exclusive: Taiwan’s Foreign Minister has issued a stern message to China’s President Xi Jinping to back off with military threats, and avoid a “disastrous result”.
Joseph Wu, an outspoken member of the Taiwanese government, says his island home is “not safe for us” amid frequent incursions by China’s People’s Liberation Army aircraft, and a desire from China’s President for “reunification”.
“No democracy should be threatened by an authoritarian country,” Joseph Wu said in an exclusive interview with 9News. You can watch that full, extended interview in the player above.
And he has a message for China’s President: “Listen to Taiwanese people. Taiwan is already a democracy. They should stop threatening Taiwan militarily, they should stop squeezing Taiwan out from the international organisations.
“If we don’t stop authoritarianism at Taiwan I think we are going to see China encouraged to go on further.”
Taiwan is home to almost 25 million people, its capital Taipei is bustling.
Markets are thriving, even amid the intense summer heat. But in many places you find people worried for their future.
“War, I is very worried,” Charles Huang, a 72-year-old Taiwanese resident told me while feeding fish with his granddaughter Ellie.
Frank, a customer at a local wet market says he fears a military move by Beijing.
“To be honest I feel nervous about the future.”
Jin Fa Wang, 54, is a stall worker at the same market in Taipei, he tells me his island is beautiful and safe. But brands Xi Jinping a dictator.
The Taiwanese have lived with the pressure from Beijing for decades. What they experience now is not new, many tell me, but instead it is more intense.
“We are absolutely determined to defend our freedom, our democracy, our sovereignty our democratic way of life also our prosperity,” Wu said.
Are you scared?” I ask him.
“I am not for a very good reason. We love our democratic way of life. Nobody can take that away from us,” Wu told me.
Asked if he thinks democracy is at risk, he said: “Of course.
“They think they can impose their will on the Taiwanese people…but it doesn’t work.
“These Chinese leaders have concentrated their powers on one single man, that single man might make mistake. If they make a misjudgement on the cross-strait situation and started a war against Taiwan, that is something that would lead to a disastrous result.”
Over a week Taiwan carried out its largest ever military show through its Han Kuan exercise.
Soldiers practiced defending the main airport against an attack from China’s People’s Liberation Army, and against a beach invasion.
Xi Jinpnig has told his troops to be ready by 2027 but there’s no indication that date or any date is planned for a military takeover of Taiwan by Beijing.
Taiwan Army’s Major General Shun Wen Xi told me: “I think the situation across the strait and the military threat that we are facing are already evident.
“The message we want to send is that we are fully committed to defending our country. We will do our part at every corner (of our country) with confidence.
“Our service members will give everything we have to protect our community and our country.”
Last month the US committed an extra $500 million in military aid to support Taiwan.
“With all these international support, I think we are more confident than ever that we will be able to deter the Chinese from thinking about using force against Taiwan,” Wu said.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister said he would alkso like to see stronger economic ties with Australia, and wants to visit too.
He last made a trip in 2013, it was a trip the Minister said “transformed Joseph Wu into a permanent supporter of Australia”, describing Australia as “one of our very best”.
