TAIPEI: Taiwanese people are inspired by the Ukrainians and they admire the incredible determination of the Ukrainians battling a superpower for their sovereignty and freedom, Taiwanese minister of foreign affairs Joseph Jaushieh Wu has said.
Addressing an international press group on a visit to Taiwan on Tuesday, Jaushieh Wu said the ‘unprovoked war’ of Russia against Ukraine and the direction the war has been progressing are a lesson for China which keeps issuing military threats to Taiwan.
“We keep reminding the rest of the world that any war against Taiwan might impact the rest of the world,” he said, adding that about 40% of the global ships pass through the South China Sea and about 70% of the world’s semiconductors are from Taiwan. If this supply chain is disrupted, it will have a major adverse impact on the world,” he said.
India is also facing threats from China on its northern borders, the foreign minister said, expressing the confidence that India is ‘paying close attention’ to how China is acquiring ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
“Democracies need to work with each other, share resources and cooperate with each other,” he said.
Seeking more trade and industrial relations with India, the minister said the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks need to be expedited, as Taiwanese companies moving to India would be keen to have an FTA protection.
Later in the day, deputy minister of foreign affairs Tien Chung-kwang told reporters how in 2013 a draft FTA, which was a product of 30 months of labour, was drafted. “It has since been shelved by India for reasons not known,” he said.
“Leave alone conclusion, it will be better if we resume efforts on the issue,” he said, wondering as to why India was hesitating to seal an FTA with Taiwan, even while taking forward FTA talks with some other countries.
The deputy minister, who had served in India for over seven years as the ambassador of Taiwan, said while leading a recent trade visit to India, he had impressed upon the fact that semiconductors was India’s Achilles’ heel without which it could never attain the global status it wanted to achieve. “And, only Taiwan can offer that expertise, as we are second to none,” he said.
He said at present more than 3,000 ‘highly talented’ Indian students were studying in Taiwan, and most of them are pursuing ICT courses.
Foreign minister Jaushieh Wu also said non-inclusion of Taiwan in the World Health Organisation (WHO) was unfair. “It is not fair to exclude 23 million people though the WHO charter says it is for all,” he said, adding, “We are entitled to participate in WHO just as any other people and country, if not more. However, many countries, parliamentarians and governments have been supporting Taiwan on this count,” he said.
Similarly, Taiwan has not been included in the G20 grouping though its economy is in that league. “We wished the G20 under India’s leadership a great success, though Taiwan is not included. Think about Taiwan and think about loss to the international community,” he said.
Addressing an international press group on a visit to Taiwan on Tuesday, Jaushieh Wu said the ‘unprovoked war’ of Russia against Ukraine and the direction the war has been progressing are a lesson for China which keeps issuing military threats to Taiwan.
“We keep reminding the rest of the world that any war against Taiwan might impact the rest of the world,” he said, adding that about 40% of the global ships pass through the South China Sea and about 70% of the world’s semiconductors are from Taiwan. If this supply chain is disrupted, it will have a major adverse impact on the world,” he said.
India is also facing threats from China on its northern borders, the foreign minister said, expressing the confidence that India is ‘paying close attention’ to how China is acquiring ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
“Democracies need to work with each other, share resources and cooperate with each other,” he said.
Seeking more trade and industrial relations with India, the minister said the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks need to be expedited, as Taiwanese companies moving to India would be keen to have an FTA protection.
Later in the day, deputy minister of foreign affairs Tien Chung-kwang told reporters how in 2013 a draft FTA, which was a product of 30 months of labour, was drafted. “It has since been shelved by India for reasons not known,” he said.
“Leave alone conclusion, it will be better if we resume efforts on the issue,” he said, wondering as to why India was hesitating to seal an FTA with Taiwan, even while taking forward FTA talks with some other countries.
The deputy minister, who had served in India for over seven years as the ambassador of Taiwan, said while leading a recent trade visit to India, he had impressed upon the fact that semiconductors was India’s Achilles’ heel without which it could never attain the global status it wanted to achieve. “And, only Taiwan can offer that expertise, as we are second to none,” he said.
He said at present more than 3,000 ‘highly talented’ Indian students were studying in Taiwan, and most of them are pursuing ICT courses.
Foreign minister Jaushieh Wu also said non-inclusion of Taiwan in the World Health Organisation (WHO) was unfair. “It is not fair to exclude 23 million people though the WHO charter says it is for all,” he said, adding, “We are entitled to participate in WHO just as any other people and country, if not more. However, many countries, parliamentarians and governments have been supporting Taiwan on this count,” he said.
Similarly, Taiwan has not been included in the G20 grouping though its economy is in that league. “We wished the G20 under India’s leadership a great success, though Taiwan is not included. Think about Taiwan and think about loss to the international community,” he said.