Rasmussen: Taiwan must not become the next Ukraine, so economic and military cooperation between the EU and Taiwan must be strengthened

Photo – LETA/Ieva Makare

Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.

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In response, China launched its largest military exercise in the region and fired several missiles over the island. This bellicose response shows why Pelosi was right to visit a US ally.

The tragedy currently unfolding in Ukraine reminds us that the free world cannot stand by when an authoritarian bully threatens its neighbor.

The visit by the Speaker of the House of Representatives was the highest-ranking US politician in two decades. In these years, Taiwan has become an island of freedom and a beacon for the entire region.

According to Freedom House’s index of political rights and civil liberties, Taiwan ranks second in Asia and 16th overall in the world, alongside Germany and Iceland. It was among the few countries that improved its score during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Democracy has become a firm foundation of Taiwan’s identity.

The opposite is the case with China. Over the past 25 years, the vain hopes that greater economic cooperation with the West will lead to its liberalization have been dashed.

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has become increasingly repressive towards society and aggressive in foreign policy as well. His attitude towards democracy was clearly visible in the violent suppression of protesters and mass arrests in Hong Kong.

Xi’s far-reaching goals for Taiwan echo Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan for Ukraine. He considers it an essential part of his homeland.

China’s ambassador to France said this week that Taiwanese citizens would have to be “re-educated” if the island was “reunified” with China. This was no simple diplomatic rant.

Meanwhile, China’s first white paper on Taiwan in 22 years scrapped a pledge not to deploy troops to Taiwan in the event of “reunification”.

We have no doubts about China’s ambitions for Taiwan. For years, politicians, especially those living in Europe, deliberately ignored Putin’s words about Ukraine.

Some commentators have criticized the timing of Pelosi’s visit, saying it could have destabilized the region. This is completely wrong.

What is destabilizing the region is China’s conduct of extensive military maneuvers in the South China Sea.

Allowing the Chinese Communist Party to dictate when and where high-ranking US politicians can visit the region would be a huge mistake.

Other leaders from the US, Europe and the democratic world should follow Pelosi’s lead and visit Taiwan.

Visits are an important symbol of support. However, as the Ukrainians tragically discovered, nice words and gestures are not enough when you live in the neighborhood of an autocratic heavyweight.

Action must be taken now to protect Taiwan’s democratic future together. First, countries should strengthen military aid and cooperation with Taiwan.

As the war continues in Europe, this task will fall primarily on the United States and its allies in the Pacific.

President Biden’s clear statements that the United States will defend Taiwan in the event of an attack are important. The United States should already increase the supply of defensive weapons and military training to Taiwan to deter China from any attempt to take the island by force.

This would send a strong message that China’s provocations against Taiwan are counterproductive. Second, all democratic countries should strengthen their economic ties with Taiwan. It’s already happening. The European Union has increased trade with Taiwan eightfold over the past two decades. This partnership should be deepened as European companies seek to diversify away from suppliers in autocratic countries. An EU-Taiwan bilateral investment agreement would be an important step in this regard.

Stronger economic ties should go hand in hand with closer political ties. Democratic countries must be united when China threatens other countries for improving relations with Taiwan, as happened with the Republic of Lithuania.

Finally, democracies should clearly explain to China what consequences it might face after attacking Taiwan.

The free world has shown impressive unity in its response to the unjust war in Ukraine, agreeing in record time on crippling sanctions against Russia.

China should realize that they will face an equally united response. This would have an even greater impact given China’s reliance on exports to fuel its growth. Clarity of the economic consequences can now be a significant deterrent against any attack.

Xi Jinping’s vision of reunification with China is not shared by the majority of Taiwanese citizens, who cherish their democratic freedoms and strongly oppose China’s threats.

The free world must not leave them alone.

Politicians in the US and Europe failed to stop the Kremlin from attacking Ukrainian democracy, they must not make the same mistake with Taiwan.

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/taiwan-cant-allowed-become-another-ukraine-opinion-1733325

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