Foreign Minister Wu gives interview to Denmark’s Berlingske

2024/04/09

Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu called on the Danish government to respect Taiwan’s autonomy and the free will of its people.
 
The minister made the remarks during an interview with Alexander Sjöberg last month in Taipei City for an article published April 3 on the front page of Copenhagen-based national daily Berlingske.
 
According to Wu, Denmark has a special place in his heart because it was the first European country he visited as Taiwan’s foreign minister when he gave a speech at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit in 2019.
 
At a time when members of the free world are working together to counter authoritarianism, Wu urged Demark, which he lauded as an exemplary democracy, to honor the Taiwan people’s choice regarding their preferred form of address and wish not to be grouped with China.
 
The people respect Demark and other European countries for supporting Ukraine, the minister said, adding that China’s coercive tactics toward Taiwan mirror Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Labeling Taiwan as part of China has far-reaching implications because it provides a legal basis for Beijing’s erroneous sovereignty claim and tacitly approves the use of military force, he said.
 
Citing the Common Foreign and Security Policy passed by the European Parliament in February, Wu said China’s territorial claims over Taiwan have no basis in international law, adding that neither Taiwan nor China is subordinate to the other and only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent the country’s people on the international stage. He pressed for Demark to remain consistent with the EU and address Taiwan accordingly.
 
Wu also called on members of the free world to look squarely at the threats posed to global peace and stability by China’s authoritarian expansion. Appeasement will not stop Beijing’s ambition or bring peace to the world, he said. 


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