{"id":70003,"date":"2022-01-26T06:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T19:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=70003"},"modified":"2022-01-26T05:36:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-25T18:36:52","slug":"taiwan-looks-to-australia-as-pressure-from-china-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/taiwan-looks-to-australia-as-pressure-from-china-grows\/","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan looks to Australia as pressure from China grows"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"700\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-70007\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1231268067.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1231268067.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1231268067-205x140.jpg 205w, https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1231268067-768x525.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018Serving as minister of foreign affairs is not an easy task,\u2019 said Joseph Wu, Taiwan\u2019s foreign minister, in conversation with ASPI Executive Director Peter Jennings. \u2018Somebody joked that the president must dislike me very much to put me in this position.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Wu expects his job to get even more difficult over the next year as China continues to intensify pressure against Taiwan on a range of military, economic and diplomatic fronts.<\/p>\n<p>The military pressure is certainly growing more palpable. \u2018If you look at the types of military exercises they\u2019ve been conducting, it\u2019s becoming more complex, more suited for modern warfare, and more threatening than ever,\u2019 said Wu. \u2018Chinese air exercises around Taiwan increased to almost 1,000 sorties in the last year.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1200632794&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>China has also chalked up some wins in its ongoing efforts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, with Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Panama and Honduras recently switching their diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>And, like Australia, Taiwan has been on the receiving end of Chinese embargoes on its agricultural products.<\/p>\n<p>But a new phase in Beijing\u2019s Taiwan campaign has recently seen it moving to sanction countries that support Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019m sure Australian friends have noticed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/3164170\/lithuanian-exports-nearly-obliterated-china-market-amid-taiwan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the case of Lithuania<\/a>. The Lithuanian government decided to have some relations with Taiwan by allowing Taiwan to open up a representative office in Vilnius. The way the Chinese are putting pressure on that small country in the Baltic\u2014it\u2019s unbelievable\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s not the end point, said Wu. \u2018China is targeting European corporations doing business in Lithuania. This is a secondary sanction. Now, the European countries realise that it is a very hostile act against the EU, not just against Lithuania.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Given the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usni.org\/2021\/10\/05\/japan-making-moves-to-deter-chinese-aggression-panel-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hostility that such moves are generating against<\/a> China, Wu said that he remained confused about Beijing\u2019s end game. \u2018Sometimes I wish that I worked in Zhongnanhai in order to understand why they would do all this, because it\u2019s not in line with their interests in the long run\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>But for Taiwan, China\u2019s actions only make sense in the broader context of its ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018If you look at their international operations, we come to a very sober conclusion, that authoritarianism is trying to expand its influence globally, beyond Taiwan. What they have done to Hong Kong, it\u2019s very obvious. Hong Kong is a symbol of freedom and liberalism, politically and economically, but they have put it to an end by imposing the national security law.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Here Wu points out the mixture of coercive military and economic diplomacy employed by China across the globe. For example, according to the Japanese government, China has dramatically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2021\/sep\/20\/japan-urges-europe-to-speak-out-against-chinas-military-expansion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increased its incursions<\/a> into disputed territories in the East and South China Seas. It also has ramped up tensions in its border dispute with India, has deepened its political and military influence in Africa, and is actively trying to neutralise the EU in any disputes through the economic promise of its Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, Wu says Taiwan very much welcomes not just stronger bilateral relationships with his country, but also Australia\u2019s closer relationship with Japan and the AUKUS agreement. All these developments are important in signalling to China that democracies are coming together to push back against the expansion of authoritarianism.<\/p>\n<p>So, what is Taiwan\u2019s plan of action over the next year to counter China\u2019s campaigns of influence and intimidation?<\/p>\n<p>Any strategy will succeed or fail on Taiwan\u2019s diplomatic capacities. Wu explained that, in the first instance, Taiwan wants to impress upon the international community that it is not a troublemaker, that it wants to be a \u2018force for good in the world\u2019. He\u2019s been heartened that US decision-makers have supported this view.<\/p>\n<p>But in more than words, Taiwan has been trying to make contributions to the international community wherever possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We want to be a positive force in making contributions to the fight against terrorism, to preserve religious freedom, to extend democracy and human rights to the areas beyond Taiwan, and to fight against those authoritarian forces like North Korea by joining international sanctions.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Working with partners to provide international assistance to developing countries is necessary to keep building Taiwan\u2019s reputation. \u2018It is very important for Taiwan to shine internationally, to have that Taiwan model of international assistance to other countries,\u2019 said Wu.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan is especially interested in working with Australia on capacity-building in the South Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>But especially critical is securing Taiwan\u2019s supply of the weapons it needs for self-defence. So securing US support into the long term is Wu\u2019s key priority.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We have been working very closely with the United States, as you can imagine. The US has been providing Taiwan not only with defensive weapons, but also with maintenance capabilities, services and training. That has substantially strengthened our defence capabilities.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>But Taiwan has also been collaborating with the US on asymmetric defensive options against increasing Chinese military pressure, said Wu.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Taiwan is trying to strengthen its reserve forces so that \u2018we not only have the first layer of defence, but also the second layer and the third layer of defence\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Wu also underlined the value of the strengthened relationship with Australia.<\/p>\n<p>But if there was one thing that Australia could do for Taiwan in the next year, it would be to help it join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, known as the CPTPP.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Of course, Taiwan is trying to participate in the CPTPP. We have a strategic objective in this, and we are very glad to hear that the Australian decision-makers are very supportive. If Taiwan can join the CPTPP, I\u2019m sure Taiwan\u2013Australia relations would even be closer.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018Serving as minister of foreign affairs is not an easy task,\u2019 said Joseph Wu, Taiwan\u2019s foreign minister, in conversation with ASPI Executive Director Peter Jennings. \u2018Somebody joked that the president must dislike me very much &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1182,"featured_media":70007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17,52,106,392],"class_list":["post-70003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-australia","tag-china","tag-democracy","tag-taiwan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Taiwan looks to Australia as pressure from China grows | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/taiwan-looks-to-australia-as-pressure-from-china-grows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taiwan looks to Australia as pressure from China grows | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018Serving as minister of foreign affairs is not an easy task,\u2019 said Joseph Wu, Taiwan\u2019s foreign minister, in conversation with ASPI Executive Director Peter Jennings. \u2018Somebody joked that the president must dislike me very much ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/taiwan-looks-to-australia-as-pressure-from-china-grows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-25T19:00:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-25T18:36:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1231268067.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anastasia Kapetas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anastasia Kapetas\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI&#039;s analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/taiwan-looks-to-australia-as-pressure-from-china-grows\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1231268067.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1231268067.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":700,\"caption\":\"Taiwan Foreign Minister Mr Joseph Wu attends a ceremony awarding prizes to enterprises and experts who had great contributions in diplomatic medical assistance including offering free masks and protective equipments, in Taipei, Taiwan, 21 February 2021. 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