Invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan premier: only a united country can resist China
With a possible attack by Beijing in mind, Su Tseng-chang points to Ukrainians' resistance slowing down the Russian advance. Taipei is trying to reassure the population that the two situations are different. But doubts shroud the real will of the Taiwanese to oppose the Chinese.
Rome (AsiaNews) - The Taiwanese premier believes the Russian attack on Ukraine teaches that only a united country can resist a Chinese invasion. Su Tseng-chang's comments came yesterday during a meeting with a delegation of former US defense officials in which he underscored, with an eye on domestic politics, how the firm resistance of the Ukrainians is slowing the Russian advance.
Beijing considers Taiwan a "rebel province" and has never ruled out re-conquering it through the use of force. The island has been de facto independent from China since 1949; at that time Chiang Kai-shek's nationalists found refuge there after losing the civil war on the mainland to the communists, making it the heir to the Republic of China founded in 1912.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has condemned the armed action ordered by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. Taipei also joined the US and its allies in punishing Moscow with economic and financial sanctions.
However, according to Marc Cheng, executive director of the EU Centre in Taipei, the authorities and people on the island have different perceptions and reactions to the ongoing war. Speaking to AsiaNews he says the Tsai administration largely avoids direct associations between the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and Taiwanese-Chinese relations, as this would have an impact on Taiwanese morale. "This is why," Cheng points out, "our government wants to strengthen its ability to deal with a 'cognitive war' [by Beijing]."
Retired rear admiral Chihlung Dan says the Tsai executive is trying to persuade citizens that Taiwan is not Ukraine, given its key role in the global supply chain - the reference is mainly to microchips, of which the island is the world's leading producer. Thanks to this condition, Taipei argues, in case of a Chinese invasion, the international community would directly come to its aid, something it did not do with Kiev.
Dan points out that the Taiwanese authorities also claim that they do not rely on outside help and that the country will put up a strong resistance to a Chinese invasion. This is a way to show that Taipei has the strength to respond to China's threats - knowing full well that without US support it could not survive Beijing's aggression.
While the islanders are reassured by the international support they have received from Ukraine, "they do not want to be trapped in the same situation", Cheng points out. He adds that those most concerned believe that sooner or later Taiwan will have to find an appropriate way of dealing with Communist China.
Regardless of the difference in views between the government and the population, Cheng says that according to polls, the majority of Taiwanese are ready to protect the island from a Chinese attack.
However, there are those who think that the Taiwanese will not have the courage to defend their country like the Ukrainians are defending theirs. Echoing the views expressed in the university forum Dcard, Fausto Chou, journalist and executive editor of Eat News, recounts that during his four months of compulsory military service, which ended not long ago, he asked his fellow soldiers what they would do in the event of war with China: 60% answered that they would surrender.
He is aware that the sample cannot be of scientific value, but he also added that the soldiers he spoke to largely said they had chosen a military career because they came from poor families. Chou notes that national military recruitment campaigns are based on slogans that call for "gains" and not "patriotism", which he says is the biggest problem for the Taiwanese army.
"RED LANTERNS" IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO CHINA
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK TO RECEIVE A WEEKLY UPDATE.
.png)
