China is downplaying Taiwan’s comparison to Ukraine. On Tuesday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang said that the Taiwan issue is a domestic one rather than an international one. That came on Tuesday as he responded to reports that Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said she could empathize with Ukraine as it faces encroachment from Russia.
Ma said Taiwan's pro-independence DPP administration and westerners are using the Ukraine crisis to hype up Chinese military threats against Taiwan. He said those sentiments are attempts to turn Taiwan into an international issue and undermine China. Ma said that the DPP administration and Taiwan independence forces working with foreign groups are the ones provoking heightened tensions between Taiwan and China.
As Ukraine faces increasing threats of invasion from Russia, many media outlets have compared the Eastern European country to Taiwan. Some analysts say the US’ response to the Ukraine crisis will affect China’s attitude towards Taiwan.
Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday said that Taiwan’s strategic location and role in the global supply chain makes it fundamentally different from Ukraine.