MOFA Minister Wu gives interview to Hankook Ilbo of South Korea

2023/10/25

Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu said Taiwan is committed to working with its democratic partners to fight authoritarian expansion, defend the rules-based international order and ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
 
The minister’s remarks came during a written interview for an article published Oct. 23 by Seoul-based daily Hankook Ilbo and its English edition, The Korea Times.
 
According to Wu, China has increased its military budget 40 times in the past three decades to become the second-largest globally, with its troop numbers now topping the rest of the world.
 
Beijing has also been ramping up economic coercion, gray-zone tactics and military threats against Taiwan, including sending warplanes and warships into airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan, many of which have even crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, Wu said, adding that all such actions are aimed at changing the cross-strait status quo in preparation for a possible attack on Taiwan.
 
The minister called on members of the free world to draw lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and pay close attention to tensions across the strait. China’s ambitions should not be taken lightly, as its military expansion poses serious threats to other regional democracies like South Korea as well.
 
Wu said the government of Taiwan looks forward to expanding its relationship with South Korea across the board. The countries are each the other’s fifth-largest trading partner and third-largest source of tourists, while both play a key role in the global semiconductor supply chain, he added.
 
The minister expressed hope that the two like-minded partners will negotiate agreements on customs cooperation, expansion of economic ties and investment protection, as well as fast track the implementation of the agreement on double taxation avoidance inked in November 2021, to further elevate the bilateral relationship. 


Source: Noticias de Taiwan (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)