Joe Biden warns that Taiwan may not become a prey of China

Beijing could have unlimited access to the Indo-Pacific if Taiwan were to fall prey to Chinese aggression, Taiwan’s foreign minister said, describing regional security as one of Joe Biden’s’ most urgent priorities.

Joseph Wu’s remarks also thanked the outgoing government of President Donald Trump, which he attributed to the advancement of US-Taiwan relations “to a stronger level than ever before.”

His conversation with Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, aired Wednesday as part of a virtual forum.

Wu said President-elect Biden’s call for a coalition of like-minded partners and allies was a ‘reassuring’ message to democracies in the region. He stressed the importance of Taiwan’s inclusion in the “Pacific security” architecture of the Indian Ocean.

To ensure security and prosperity in the region is one of Biden’s’ most urgent priorities’, Wu said, adding: ‘If Taiwan were to become a prey of China, it would be Beijing’s reach in the Indo-Pacific region. significantly expand and the rules significantly increase -based international order. “

Tsai Ing-wen’s top diplomat described China as the most obvious ‘source of instability’ in the region and called the Taiwan Strait a ‘flash point’. issues, including non-traditional fields such as media literacy, dealing with mismanagement.

“Taiwan is capable and willing” to engage in discussions – even unofficially – with coalition agencies such as Quad, which currently includes the United States, Japan, India and Australia, he told Glaser.

“Taiwan can contribute to prosperity and security in the region,” Wu added. Participation will enable the Indo-Pacific region to ‘benefit from the strength of Taiwan’.

The minister noted that Beijing, due to China’s conditions for a trans-war dialogue – the Chinese leadership insists on adhering to its one-China principle, was now ‘less flexible’ in dealing with Taiwan.

“As long as the international community, especially like-minded countries, think that Taiwan can play a positive role in the international community, I think China’s heavy-handed way of dealing with Taiwan is not going to work,” he said.

Wu revealed that in 2020, American warships made 13 passes through the Strait of Taiwan as part of the Navy’s freedom of navigation.

“It is a testament to US determination to be present in this region. This kind of presence is being noticed not only by Taiwan but also by other countries. We appreciate it very much,” he added. “Taiwan’s most important friend and ally.”

Wu said ships from other countries are also entering the region for patrols in the South China Sea. He listed ships from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Australia.

He said Taiwan appreciated the international effort to ward off “aggression” from the Chinese Communist Party, which covers almost the entire South China Sea and its many islands.