Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says that Taiwan will not provoke a conflict with China. His comments came on Tuesday evening, during a virtual conference with former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Wu’s meeting with Esper was part of Washington-based think-tank The McCain Institute’s event series titled “Conversations with Secretary Mark Esper.”
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened military action to unify the two countries if necessary.
Wu said that “Taiwan is a peace loving country” and that it wants to maintain a stable line of rhetoric in discussing cross-strait relations. Wu said that Taiwan continues to strengthen its defenses in order to protect its democratic way of life. He said that Taiwan wants to remain prepared for a potential Chinese attack.
When asked about the US policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan, Wu said that, to him, the actions of the United States are in no way ambiguous. He said that the US has shown commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and that includes supporting Taiwan.
Wu said that he does not see tensions between the two sides deescalating in the near future, because China continues to ramp up threats against Taiwan.