TAIPEI: If Russia defeats Ukraine, it can embolden China’s strikes in direction of Taiwan and Taipei hopes that Kyiv emerges victorious, a senior uniformed Taiwanese army officer stated this week throughout a uncommon go to to Europe, drawing an indignant response from Beijing.
Taiwan, which China views as its personal territory, has discovered an more and more sympathetic ear in elements of central and jap Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, despite the fact that virtually all European nations preserve formal diplomatic ties with Beijing however not Taipei.
In contrast to america, Europe not sells big-ticket defence objects to Taiwan, afraid of incurring Beijing’s wrath, and open visits to Europe by any Taiwanese army officers are extremely uncommon.
Addressing the Warsaw Safety Discussion board on Tuesday (Sep 30), Hsieh Jih-sheng, deputy chief of the overall workers for intelligence at Taiwan’s defence ministry, stated the warfare in Ukraine was being carefully watched in Taipei.
“We want for his or her victory,” he stated, in footage streamed on-line from the occasion, the place he attended in particular person carrying full army uniform and talking in English.
“There are a lot of issues that we are able to study from the Ukrainian theatre that we are able to elevate for our total readiness,” Hsieh added. “The defeat of Ukraine will sign that China can take extra aggression in direction of Taiwan.”
China’s international ministry stated Taiwan was making an attempt to “capitalise on a scorching concern and seize eyeballs”.
“The Taiwan concern is solely an inside Chinese language affair, intrinsically totally different from the Ukraine disaster,” it stated in an announcement despatched to Reuters.
