Photo by Tom Ritson on Unsplash
A former high ranking Taiwanese government minister has called for current tensions between China and Taiwan to be defused.
But, speaking on Friday in Brussels, he also voiced concern about China’s recent military exercises against the island which have sent shockwaves throughout the world.
He was a keynote speaker at a debate on the “implications of new dynamics in the Taiwan (Strait) and in the Indo-Pacific for the EU”, co-hosted by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the Taipei Representative Office in the European Union and Belgium.
Dr. Chiu Tai-san was, until recently, the Minister of Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan, one of the key posts in the government.
He told a packed seminar that he hopes China “will respect the choice of the Taiwanese people and choose dialogue over confrontation.”
His comments come amid growing concern about China’s intentions towards its near neighbour across the Taiwan Straits.
Taiwan finds itself under threat on at least two key fronts, trade and security.
Earlier this week, China said it will reinstate tariffs on 134 items it imports from Taiwan after the Ministry of Finance said it would suspend concessions given on the items under a trade deal because Taiwan had not reciprocated.
Elsewhere, on May 25 China ended two days of war games around Taiwan in which it simulated attacks with bombers and practiced boarding ships, exercises that Taiwan condemned as “blatant provocation”, detailing a surge of Chinese warplanes and warships.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected 62 Chinese military aircraft and 27 navy ships, including 46 planes that crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects.
Dr. Chiu Tai-san, who stepped down from his role just ten days ago, referenced the country’s January general election and said the international community was paying close attention to whether – and how – the outcome affects Taiwan Strait relations.
In January, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-Te secured a historic third term for the Democratic Progressive Party. Beijing won’t engage with him though because it perceives him as a separatist and an agitator.
It was Lai’s inauguration speech on 20 May that China used as a pretext to restart its military coercion. After swearing in as the eighth president of Taiwan, Lai stated, “The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign, independent nation in which sovereignty lies in the hands of the people.”
Three days after Lai’s inauguration, China conducted a military exercise surrounding Taiwan, codenamed Joint Sword-2024A. State-owned media and officials in China framed the exercise as a form of ‘punishment’ directed at ‘Taiwan separatists’ issuing a severe warning against ‘external interference or provocation’.
The Taiwan president has said that in the face of many threats and intimidation from China “we must defend our determination to protect our country.”
Dr Chiu Tai-san told the meeting at CEPs that current events could have a “decisive” impact globally and that he hopes “China will respect the choice of the Taiwanese people and choose dialogue over confrontation.”
Dr Chiu Tai-san said Taiwan had “transformed from an authoritarian system into a mature democracy” and that Taiwan was “now a global model for democracy in the world.”
But he warned, “Even so, the Beijing authorities have reiterated their policies towards Taiwan, asked other countries to support their One China policy and stepped up military exercises.”
In a Q&A, he said, “We had hoped to help China economically and even to try to change China but this wish seems to be in vain. For the past 20 years China has developed economically but it has tried to use its economy into it becoming a military power.”
He noted that the EU and others have expressed “enormous concerns” at recent events and that both Taiwan and the EU “face major challenges” not least as Taiwan plays a “critical role” in the semi-conductor industry and in the Asia-Pacific region.
“This all has important repercussions internationally and not just in the Taiwan Straits.”
Another speaker was Ambassador Dr. Roy Chun Lee, of the Taipei Representative Office in the European Union and Belgium.
He said that currently “China is just grabbing the opportunity to do something they had already planned to do during the last 20 years” and the only difference was the recent speech by the new Taiwan president.
In his speech earlier this month the president made “the very important distinction”, he said, between the One China policy, supported by most EU member states, and the China Principle.
The ambassador said, “Security is still the number one consideration but the president has sent the message to China that, while we will talk to China, this must be done without preconditions.
“China, though, is also, I think, reassessing the situation so we are getting few signals from China that it realises the DPP is here to stay.”
He added, “I am, therefore, positive we will see a resumption of dialogue.”
