Taiwan cooperates with the United States in the field of defense, several American instructors work on the island. The state counts on the support of the United States in the event of a conflict with China. The head of the Taiwan administration Tsai Ing-wen said this on Wednesday, October 27, in an interview with CNN.
“Yes, we have a wide range of cooperation with the United States, it is aimed at strengthening our defense capability,” she answered a journalist’s question.
According to her, Taiwan’s administration counts on the support of the United States and other regional democracies in the event of aggression from China.
“Yes, I believe so, given our long-term relationship with the United States and the support of the Americans, Congress and the administration. [Соединенных Штатов]which helps us a lot, ”said Tsai Ing-wen.
According to the politician, “Taiwan is not alone” because it is a democratic country where “freedom is respected and peace advocates.”
“We share values with most of the countries in the region, and geographically we are strategically important,” said Tsai Ing-wen, pointing to the island’s leading role in the global semiconductor supply chain.
When asked if Taiwan could defend itself without military assistance, she replied that the island would defend itself as long as it could. But, according to the head of the Taiwanese administration, it is important that Taiwan has the support of like-minded countries.
On October 22, US President Joe Biden announced Washington’s determination to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by the PRC in accordance with its obligations. Washington will support Taiwan’s self-defense and “oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo,” a spokesman for the US presidential administration later explained to Biden.
In China, the actions of the United States against Taiwan are called dangerous and they recommend stopping them. This statement was made by the Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations (UN) Zhang Jun on October 21.
Earlier, on October 7, US media reported that US military instructors have been conducting secret activities in Taiwan for over a year to strengthen its defense capabilities. It was noted that China, in turn, stepped up its aggressive military activities near Taiwan.
Official relations between the central government of the PRC and its island province were interrupted in 1949, when the Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek, who had lost the civil war with the Chinese Communist Party, moved to Taiwan. Contacts between the island and mainland China resumed in the late 1980s. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called the Taiwan issue the most sensitive issue in bilateral relations between Washington and Beijing.