Joe Biden warned that Taiwan should not ‘fall’ in China

Beijing could have unrestricted access to the Indo-Pacific if Taiwan were “a victim” of Chinese aggression, Taiwan’s foreign minister said when describing regional security as one of Joe Biden’s “most urgent priorities”.

Joseph Wu’s comments also included gratitude to President Donald Trump’s outgoing government, to whom he attributed the advance of the US-Taiwan relationship “to a level stronger than ever”.

Her conversation with Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, was broadcast as part of a virtual forum on Wednesday.

Wu said President-elect Biden’s call for a coalition of like-minded partners and allies was a “reassuring” message for the region’s democracies. He emphasized the importance of including Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific “security architecture”.

Ensuring security and prosperity in the region would be among Biden’s “most urgent priorities”, said Wu, adding: “If Taiwan were a victim of China, it would greatly expand Beijing’s reach in the Indo-Pacific region and significantly change the rules based on the international order. “

Describing China as the most obvious “source of instability” in the area and calling the Taiwan Strait a “hot spot”, Tsai Ing-wen’s senior diplomat said that including Taiwan in regional bodies would allow Taipei to contribute to a broader security dialogue in various thematic areas, including non-traditional fields such as media literacy, which deals with the management of disinformation.

“Taiwan can and wants” to participate in discussions – even unofficially – with coalition bodies like the Quad, which currently includes the United States, Japan, India and Australia, he told Glaser.

“Taiwan can make contributions to regional prosperity and security,” added Wu. Participation would allow the Indo-Pacific region to “benefit from Taiwan’s strength”.

The minister noted that because of China’s preconditions for cross-strait dialogue – the Chinese leadership insists on adhering to its one China principle – Beijing is now “less flexible” in dealing with Taiwan.

“As long as the international community, especially countries with similar interests, think that Taiwan can play a positive role in the international community, I think China’s heavy way of dealing with Taiwan will not work,” he said.

Wu revealed that U.S. warships made 13 transits across the Taiwan Strait in 2020 as part of the Navy’s freedom of navigation operations.

“It is a demonstration of the American determination to be present in this region. This type of presence is being noticed not only by Taiwan, but also by other countries. We are very grateful,” added the chancellor, calling Washington “Taiwan’s most important friend and ally. . “

Wu said ships from other nations are also entering the region for patrols in the South China Sea. He listed ships from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Australia.

He said Taiwan appreciates the international effort to “stop the aggression” of the Chinese Communist Party, which claims almost the entire South China Sea and its many islands.