Taiwan: China eyes Western response to Ukraine

Tyavn Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Beijing is looking closely at developments in Ukraine to assess its strategy towards Taiwan, writes CNN, Periscope follows.

While we are looking at developments in Ukraine, we are also watching very carefully what China can do to Taiwan”, Wu said at a press conference.

The danger may be that Chinese leaders think that Western sanctions against Russian aggression are weak and uncontinent and that they are not having any impact. Chinese can take this as a good lesson”, he added.

Some analysts have put parallels between Russia's plans towards Ukraine and fears for Taiwan's future -- a democratic self-government island that China's Communist Party claims to be part of and that they have not ruled out the possibility of taking it by force.

Wu was talking at a press conference about the steps away Taiwan is taking to help Ukraine, when journalist from CNN Will Ripley asked him if he is concerned that the crisis in Ukraine makes it more likely or less likely for China to make a similar move.

In his response, Wu said the world has seen a enlargement of authoritarianism, referring to the joint declaration issued by China and Russia in the past month.

“President Xi has also spoken of the rebuilding of the Chinese nation, including military alignment around China”, Wu stressed.

He did not make any predictions until the Russian invasion is still taking place, but underlined that democracies around the world have joined in supporting Ukraine and Taiwan.

“I'm sure this support will be a factor that China will consider”, he added.