Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) warned of the threats of authoritarian expansionism on Wednesday during a speech for the Estonian think tank International Centre for Defence and Security. During the speech, he thanked Estonia for supporting Taiwan and noted similarities between the two countries.
Wu says that current security challenges and the expansion of authoritarianism pose a threat to democracies, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as evidence that authoritarian regimes and modern civilization cannot coexist.
Wu highlighted China and Russia’s joint military exercises in June and August this year as a sign of the two countries' continued expansionist ambitions. He outlined China's use of various methods of intimidation including hybrid warfare tactics such as information warfare and gray zone activities used to undermine Taiwan’s free and open society.
Wu says that Taiwan will not succumb to Chinese pressure but has not been provocative or aggressive under President Tsai-Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) leadership. He says Taiwan is willing to engage in dialogue with China and seek opportunities for peaceful coexistence. He adds that Taiwan will continue to cooperate with the United States and other partners while learning from Baltic countries how to further develop asymmetric strategic capabilities.
Wu departed Taiwan on Monday and is currently on a tour of the Baltic nations, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.