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Taipei (AFP) – Taiwan’s president on Wednesday condemned Russia for ordering troops into rebel-held areas in Ukraine, and claimed the disaster was getting used to harm morale on the island, which has lengthy been underneath the specter of a Chinese language invasion.
Self-ruled democratic Taiwan has watched the Ukraine scenario carefully, as China claims sovereignty over the island and has vowed to grab it sooner or later — by power if crucial.
Beijing has ramped up navy, diplomatic and financial strain on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen got here to energy in 2016, as she rejects the stance that the island is Chinese language territory.
“Our authorities condemns Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty… and urges all events to proceed to resolve the disputes by peaceable and rational means,” Tsai stated.
She described Taiwan and Ukraine as “basically totally different by way of geostrategy, geographical atmosphere, and the significance of worldwide provide chains,” referring to the island’s standing as a significant plank within the international economic system, particularly semiconductors.
“Nevertheless, within the face of exterior forces trying to control the scenario in Ukraine and have an effect on the morale in Taiwan’s society, all authorities models have to be extra vigilant in opposition to cognitive warfare.”
Taiwan’s defence ministry stated final yr that China has launched a disinformation marketing campaign aimed toward seizing the island “with no combat”.
Tsai on Wednesday additionally advised nationwide safety and navy models to stay vigilant and step up surveillance of navy actions round Taiwan.
The ultimate quarter of 2021 noticed a large spike in incursions by Chinese language warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.
Final yr, Taiwan recorded 969 such incursions, in accordance with a database compiled by AFP — greater than double the roughly 380 in 2020.
Beijing has trod a cautious line on Ukraine but in addition provided rising help to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The 2 powers signed a joint assertion this month, agreeing on a number of overseas coverage objectives together with no additional growth of NATO and that Taiwan is an “inalienable a part of China”.
Chinese language officers have additionally repeatedly sided with Russia in blaming the West for the tensions over Ukraine, accusing them of a “Chilly Conflict mentality” whereas describing Moscow’s safety considerations as “cheap”.
© 2022 AFP
