'Think twice': Taiwanese FM warns nations about being too dependent on China
Oct 30, 2021
Brussels [Belgium], October 30 : Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has urged countries in Europe and around the world to "think twice," before becoming too dependent on China economically and politically.
"If you think that you are dependent on China, your foreign policy may become skewed," Wu told US-funded Radio Free Europe in an interview in Prague on October 27. "If you think that you depend on China, your actions, or your policies, your behaviours need to be [cautious] because you don't want to jeopardize your business opportunities."
This comes as European Union has vowed its support to Taiwan amid growing military threats from China. Wu embarked on a visit to Europe days after the EU reiterated its support to Taiwan.
The minister's Europe visit has sent a clear message that the EU is siding with the US, Japan and Australia, which have been trying to corner China on dozens of issues including human rights violations, territorial expansions, according to Toronto based think tank IFFRAS.
Major democracies in the world have criticised China's growing military incursions in the region. In such a scenario, the intervention by the EU have created a hurdle in Beijing's ambitions to occupy Taiwan, the think tank said.
A few weeks ago, the EU had also hinted at the change in its policy toward Beijing after European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager expressed 'solidarity' with Lithuania stating that "The EU will continue to push back at these attempts and adopt appropriate tools, such as the anti-coercion instrument, currently under preparation."
Vestager has also raised concerns over the potential risks to Europe's 'security and prosperity' in the wake of China's rising military activities in the Taiwan Strait.
"We Europeans, we have an interest in preserving the status quo in the Taiwan Strait....and we will continue voicing our concerns in our contact with China and publicly, and step up coordination with like-minded partners as the G7," Vestager was quoted saying by IFFRAS.
Beijing continues to claim full sovereignty over Taiwan despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades. Taipei continues to face Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.
