National Security Council advisor Andrew Yang says Beijing should try to understand Taiwan in order to avoid making the wrong decisions.
Yang was speaking in Washington DC on Thursday after attending a forum held by the Jamestown Foundation. When asked by a reporter what the US, China, and Taiwan could learn from the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis 20 years ago, Yang said both Taiwan and China should have confidence in Taiwan’s democracy. He also said that Taiwan’s democracy will not change because of outside interference.
The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis refers to a series of missile tests conducted by China in the waters surrounding Taiwan. The missile tests were intended to send a strong message to Taiwan’s President Lee Teng-hui, who was seen as moving to break away from the “One China” framework.
Yang said China has never given up on the use of force against Taiwan, and that Taiwan must have sufficient self-defense capabilities. He called on China to try to understand Taiwan so that it does not make the wrong decisions regarding Taiwan.