Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says Taiwan “will always be there” to work together with Australia on international issues. Those words came in an interview for an episode of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s “Bigger Picture” podcast, released on Sunday.
Wu says that Australia has been a “very good friend” of Taiwan for a long time. He says Taiwan is happy to hear an increasing number of Australian decision makers talking openly about supporting Taiwan’s international participation.
Wu also discussed the increasing pressure Taiwan is facing from China on economic, military and diplomatic fronts. He says Taiwan’s main objective to counter that pressure is to build stronger connections with the international community.
However, Wu says that he expects China to increase its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan in the coming year. He says he views China’s increasing assertiveness as part of an expansion in the global influence of authoritarianism.
Wu says Taiwan is “right on the front line of democracy's defence”, and wants to help prevent authoritarianism from expanding further.