With a population of 23 million inhabitants and a territory 32 times smaller than Colombia, Taiwan makes about 67 percent of the chips used in the world.
(Read also: What is Taiwan’s strategy in the face of the threat of war with China?).
Besides, 40 percent of world trade passes through its maritime strait. Hence the risk of a conflict with China, which considers the island part of its territory and a rebel province, “It would paralyze the whole world.”
This is the view of Alexander Yui, Vice Foreign Minister of Taiwanwarning that taking paths other than diplomacy to resolve this years-long tension would cause “the world clock” to stop.
And it is that the Taiwanese produce technology of all kinds. From coffee makers, cars and washing machines, to the largest industrial machines are launched due to the manufacture of chips and semiconductors made on the island.
Although since the territorial and political dispute between China and Taiwan, which began in 1949 at the end of the Chinese civil war, when Mao Zedong’s communist forces defeated Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists, who settled and withdrew on the island , it has maintained an autonomous government, Beijing still considers it part of its territory and under the principle of “one China” it does not allow other countries to have diplomatic ties with them, while the Taiwanese at the same time remain in search of allies.
Tensions have escalated in recent years as both want to increase their sphere of influence, especially in Latin America.
At the moment, only 13 countries in the world formally recognize Taiwan, while still others have broken away from the island to join China. Among others: Honduras (2023) Nicaragua (2021), El Salvador (2018), Panama (2017) and Costa Rica (2007).
Given the recent alerts for an escalation in this part of the world, Yui detailed EL TIEMPO the current reality of the island and the challenges of remaining independent from China.
What is happening right now with China?
China looks for any excuse to meddle with Taiwan and take it as its own. The people of Taiwan refuse. Beijing has no right or control over us.
They have strengthened their military forces and lay siege to Taiwan’s airspace every day. It is a daily threat to our people and it is unacceptable. It is a global call for attention to the order, peace and stability that the Taiwan Strait must maintain.
As it does?
People’s China tries to isolate Taiwan in three ways: the diplomatic war, the military war and the war of public opinion. Europe, the United States, Japan, Korea… they are all concerned because most of the world’s trade passes through the Taiwan Strait. AND Although Taiwan is a small island, in fact Colombia’s population is more than twice ours, we are the 21st economy in the world. More than half of the chips produced on the planet are made in Taiwan. So any threat, any war that breaks out, will cause great destruction worldwide. If what is happening in Ukraine happens in Taiwan, the world clock will stop because there are not going to be chips to make them work.
(Also read: China announced that it filed a complaint against South Korea over Taiwan’s comments.)
What does the international community say about it?
President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, and with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Strait. Neither side can unilaterally change the status quo from Taiwan. The international community is very concerned about Chinese threats to Taiwan. The G7 group, meeting in Japan, also highlighted its concern.
Do you think the conflict in the Taiwan Strait can escalate in the short term?
I can’t predict if China is going to attack us, but we do face a daily military siege that has gotten worse. What I can assure you is that if more countries show their concern and call China’s attention not to change the status quothat would help.
The Taiwan Theme It is not only an Asian issue, regions like Latin America care because the objective of People’s China is not only Taiwan, That is just the first step to realize the Chinese dream of imposing Chinese order and rules on the world. Xi Jinping is trying to change the world order.
Xi Jinping is trying to change the world order
What is Taiwan’s strategy to maintain support from Latin America?
We want to be friends of the world. We want to join the international community. We seek to reverse the isolation we have had since 1971 when we had to leave the UN because the People’s Republic of China entered that community. Taiwan has had its own economic development, prospered with the help of many friends in the world, and today wants to be a legitimate member of the international community.
(Do not stop reading: Taiwan and China: When and how was the origin of the division?).
But, they keep losing allies…
We still have diplomatic allies in Central America. We have lost some, but we want to strengthen our trade ties with countries like Colombia and others in the region. And we don’t want to divide by questioning who can be friends with whom, like People’s China does. What we seek is an economic, cultural, scientific and educational exchange with all countries.
Weave bridges…
We have common, similar ideals, we are countries that love democracy, freedom, respect for human rights. We want to reinforce these common ideas and at the same time support each other to prosper economically and commercially to improve the social status of our peoples. That is the global idea that Taiwan has.
(It may interest you: This is the military maneuvers with which China increases pressure against Taiwan).
Have you made progress on that idea?
There has been a lot of discussion about the upcoming elections in two of our diplomatic allied countries, Paraguay and Guatemala. In Paraguay, the issue of Taiwan and Popular China has been a topic of debate in the presidential elections.
Taiwan is one of the countries that most supports and contributes to the Paraguayan economy. We are its second most important export destination in terms of the sale of beef and we are its main buyers of pork. We are supporting the training of 100 engineers a year, in addition to granting hundreds of scholarships in general. With Guatemala we have proposed the same.
Why did they lose the alliance with Honduras?
In February, the National Shrimp Association was requesting a meeting with President Xiomara Castro because Beijing had offered to buy all the shrimp produced in Honduras, and that led to the break. SHowever, on April 7, the same association expressed its concern about losing the Taiwan market..
And now they are asking President Castro to speak with us to maintain trade relations, since we used to buy shrimp at more favorable prices.
What scope did President Tsai Ing Wen’s tour of Guatemala, Belize and the United States have?
I want to emphasize that it is the first trip that the president has made abroad since the beginning of covid-19. He visited the Guatemala hospital built by Taiwan as a contribution to that country’s health system.
In Belize we have witnessed technical and agricultural cooperation, but above all we have strengthened this friendship relationship between both peoples.. In the transit that he made in the United States he met with the president of Congress, Kevin McCarthywhere they talked about economic and security cooperation on the issue of the Taiwan Strait.
This tour made China uncomfortable. What happened?
They began to make all kinds of threats and military maneuvers. They tried to shut Taiwan down by air and sea, but they used that as an excuse. Taiwan, as a sovereign country, has the right to go visit friends. Something that reminded what happened last year when Nancy Pelosi (then Speaker of the US House of Representatives) visited Taiwan.
China was enraged and they did all kinds of maneuvers, using it as an excuse to try to conquer the island.
They claim the territory as their own…
They say they want to reunify Taiwan, but the problem is that the Republic People’s China has never had control of the island of Taiwanno.
When the ROC was founded on October 1, 1949 in Beijing, Taiwan was not part of its territory. They never had control or authority over the island of Taiwan. Therefore, to say that it is a reunification is false. They want to control a town of 23 million people and force them to live under their authoritarian regime.
If an escalation occurs, how do you expect Latin America’s reaction to be?
Unfortunately, we have seen in just over a year what is happening in Ukraine. One country invaded by another. We are very sorry for the destruction and loss of life. Military defense in Taiwan is our own responsibility.
What we can produce in weapons we are doing. China is much more dependent on the world economy. If there were sanctions against Beijing of the same level that Moscow has been subjected to, it would be much more affected. May Latin America also see with those eyes.
ANA MARIA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
WEATHER CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS
@anarodriguez_b
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