Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu warned on Saturday that if Beijing invaded the island, the world would censure China as it does Russia for its conflict in Ukraine.
Taiwan has joined Western-led sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, and Belarus was added to the list on Friday.
Given Taiwan’s low levels of direct trade with Belarus or Russia, the steps are mostly symbolic.
However, because to what many people see as parallels between what is happening in Ukraine and what could happen if China uses force to take control of the island it claims as its own, Ukraine has gained widespread public support in Taiwan.
Wu told reporters in Taipei at an event commemorating the establishment of the European Union that it was critical to join others in condemning the invasion and penalizing both Russia and Belarus.
“Of course, we hope the world community can understand and support Taiwan in the future if we are threatened with force by China or invaded,” he added.
“As a result, Taiwan joins the international community in taking these actions,” Wu said of the penalties.
Taiwan has boosted its alert level since the Ukraine conflict began, fearful that China will follow suit, despite no signs of an imminent Chinese attack, according to the Taipei authorities.
China, which has not criticized Russia’s incursion, has dismissed any analogies to Taiwan, claiming that it is neither a country nor a Chinese province, a position that the democratically elected government in Taipei fiercely opposes.
Taiwan parliament speaker You Si-kun said Ukraine “did very well” in standing up to Russia for more than 70 days, earning Taiwan’s “admiration.”
“We hope Ukraine will come out on top, and we will fight until the last end.”
Given that most countries, including the United States and all EU member states, only have formal diplomatic links with Beijing, not Taipei, and, unlike Ukraine, do not recognize Taiwan as a country, how the world would react to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is unknown.
