On January 6, 2025, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Wu Chih-chung, emphasized in an interview with Radio Free Europe the nation’s active efforts to strengthen its self-defense capabilities. He also highlighted Taiwan’s collaboration with like-minded countries such as the United States and Japan to uphold democracy, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China issued a press release stating that Deputy Minister Wu Chih-chung was interviewed by Andrey Tsyganov from Radio Free Europe on November 14, 2024. The interview, titled “70 Years of Preparedness – Will China Really Use Force Against Taiwan?”, was included in a Russian documentary film and aired on the Russian channel “Current Time” on YouTube. The addition of English subtitles to this documentary has garnered significant attention and importance from various sectors.
During his interview in the documentary, Deputy Minister Wu expressed concerns over Xi Jinping’s strong ambition to annex Taiwan. While Taiwan seeks to avoid any conflict, it is fully prepared to defend itself against military threats from the Chinese Communist Party. The potential victory of Russia over Ukraine could embolden China to take aggressive actions against Taiwan. The international community’s support for Ukraine has already weakened Russia and deterred China from instigating military actions against Taiwan.
Deputy Minister Wu also pointed out that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has heightened the crisis awareness among Taiwanese people. The support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait from the international community is crucial. European countries like France, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany have recently dispatched warships to sail through the Taiwan Strait or patrol the Asia-Pacific region to assert freedom of navigation rights, demonstrating unity among democratic nations in safeguarding the rules-based international order. These actions have had a deterrent effect on authoritarian states’ expansionist ambitions.
Emphasizing Taiwan’s commitment to enhancing its self-defense capabilities, Deputy Minister Wu reiterated the country’s cooperation with the United States and Japan, among other like-minded nations, to safeguard peace and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region. The implementation of the “Not Today” strategy aims to dissuade Xi Jinping from entertaining thoughts of invading Taiwan by making him reconsider taking any aggressive actions.
Deputy Minister Wu also highlighted Taiwan’s role as a reliable partner in the global democratic supply chain compared to China’s use of trade as a weapon against the democratic camp. Taiwan produces over 60% of the world’s semiconductor chips and more than 90% of advanced chips, including those used in artificial intelligence (AI), with all AI semiconductors originating from Taiwan. Given the importance of AI in shaping the future of humanity, Taiwan is dedicated to strengthening the democratic industry supply chain to counter the threats posed by China-led authoritarian supply chains.
The documentary not only delves into Taiwan’s current political and economic landscape and the history of cross-strait relations but also features interviews with various Taiwanese figures and Ukrainian students in Taiwan sharing their perspectives on the Taiwan Strait situation, emphasizing that the majority of Taiwanese citizens wish to maintain the status quo.
Radio Free Europe, funded by the U.S. Congress, has played a pivotal role in broadcasting news and information to Iron Curtain countries during the Cold War and remains influential in the global Russian-speaking regions. “Current Time” is a Russian-language television channel jointly operated by Radio Free Europe and Voice of America in Europe, serving as one of the few media outlets continuously providing Russian-speaking audiences with news related to the Russia-Ukraine war.