Members of Taiwan's military conduct routine exercises at Liaoluo Port in Kinmen on May 24, 2024, the day after China encircled Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft in war games aimed at punishing the self-ruled island after its new president vowed to defend democracy. I-HWA CHENG / AFP via Getty Images
War with China not inevitable, Taiwan government officials say
“We are small, but we are not alone,” deputy foreign affairs minister says.
TAIPEI, Taiwan—While Chinese military aircraft and ships cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait every day in a growing campaign of harassment, the island does not see war with China as inevitable or unavoidable, top government officials said.
“They are huge. Bigger. Bullier. Economically, yes. Militarily, yes,” Chung-kwang Tien, Taiwan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, told a group of international reporters during a media trip paid for by the Taiwanese government. But, he said, the democratically run island knows its weaknesses, and has built a strong international community of support.
“So we are small, but we are not alone,” Tien said.
One of the strongest of those supporters is the United States. This month, the State Department announced a $360 million drone sale to Taipei, its 15th sale of defensive weapons to the island. But arms exports fray relations between Washington and Beijing, which have been particularly tense since the 2022 visit to Taiwan of then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Only recently have U.S. and Chinese military officials revived communications.
“How can a small island with 23 million people in the middle of the ocean…sustain the kind of pressure from a very hostile neighbor, which is, I don’t know, a hundred times bigger?” Tien said. “Some things you cannot judge by the size.”
Using chopsticks as a metaphor—one is easy to snap, but a handful together is nearly impossible to break—Tien explained why Taiwan is “trying to make as many friends, as many like-minded countries” as possible. “We don’t ask for war, but we always prepare for the worst.”
One of the ways the island is preparing for potential conflict with China is with annual wargames in July. This year’s exercises will resemble combat more closely than ever, a senior official told Reuters.
After all, said Catherine Hsu, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ international information services department, Taiwan cannot expect help from other countries if it is not helping itself.
“Only when we can show to the rest of the world that we are determined to defend our country” can we expect support from others, Hsu said, adding that Taiwan and its partners must “send the signal clear and loud to China” that invading Taiwan is not a wise idea.
Still, Hsu said, there is no reason for Taiwan to declare its independence—the Taiwanese people already consider themselves independent, and they know that such an official declaration would gravely provoke the Chinese Communist Party.
Tien echoed those comments, saying Taiwan is “confident, but we’re cautious, and we are not going to use provocative words or deeds to antagonize the other side.”
Instead, he said, they simply want to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.