Defeat of Ukraine would embolden China toward Taiwan, Taiwanese officer says in Poland

Defeat of Ukraine would embolden China toward Taiwan, Taiwanese officer says in Poland

TAIPEI: If Russia defeats Ukraine it will embolden China’s moves toward Taiwan and Taipei hopes that Kyiv emerges victorious, a senior uniformed Taiwanese military officer said this week in a rare visit to Europe to attend a security forum.

Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has found an increasingly sympathetic ear in parts of central and eastern Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, even though almost all European countries only maintain formal diplomatic ties with Beijing and not Taipei.

Unlike the United States, Europe no longer sells big-ticket defense items to Taiwan, fearful of incurring Beijing’s wrath, and open visits to Europe by any Taiwanese military officers are highly unusual.

Addressing the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, Hsieh Jih-Sheng, deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence at Taiwan’s defense ministry, said the war in Ukraine was being closely watched in Taipei.