(CNN) A day after China simulated a “joint precision strike” on Taiwan during military exercises around the island, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu condemned Beijing’s actions in an exclusive interview with CNN and warned -an that “it seems they are trying to prepare to launch a war against Taiwan.”
“Look at the military exercises, and also their rhetoric, they seem to be trying to prepare to launch a war against Taiwan,” Wu said.
“The Taiwanese government views the Chinese military threat as something unacceptable and we condemn it.”
Asked if Taiwan had any sense of timing of potential military action by China, given US intelligence assessments that Xi had ordered his military to prepare by 2027, Wu expressed confidence in Taiwan’s preparations. .
“China’s leaders will think twice before they decide to use force against Taiwan. And whether it’s 2025 or 2027 or even beyond, Taiwan just needs to prepare,” he said.
The exercises appear to mark the first time the Chinese navy has simulated strikes by aircraft carrier-based warplanes in Taiwan.
Beijing launched the drills on Saturday, a day after President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taiwan from a 10-day visit to Central America and the United States where she met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other lawmakers in US.
Beijing described them as “a serious warning against the collusion of Taiwan’s separatist forces with external forces, and a necessary step to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Asked if the cost of such a visit would be high, Wu told CNN, “China cannot dictate how Taiwan makes friends. And China cannot dictate how our friends want to show support to Taiwan. “
Beijing held similar large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in August, after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island.
Those exercises included a Chinese missile launch on the island, something that has not been seen in current drills.
Taiwan and China have been governed separately since the end of a civil war more than seven decades ago, during which the defeated Nationalists fled Taipei. Taiwan transitioned from authoritarian rule to a democracy in the 1990s and is now ranked one of the freest jurisdictions in Asia by Freedom House, a US-based non-profit organization.
However, the ruling Communist Party of China claims the self-governing island as its territory, and in recent years, as its power has grown, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made clear of his ambitions to “reunite” the island – by force if necessary.
The Chinese exercises also coincided with a state visit by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who was welcomed by Xi in Beijing.
After his meeting, Macron appeared to question whether France should be involved in the Taiwan crisis, telling reporters that “the worst thing is to think that we Europeans should be followers of this subject and adapt to the rhythm of America or an overreaction in China.” French officials later said his comments had been misinterpreted. Wu told CNN that Taipei has asked France for an explanation.
“We’re still trying to figure out what he said and what it means through the French government,” Wu said, although he noted that “the French government has shown support for Taiwan.”
As tensions between the US and China escalated over Taiwan, President Joe Biden said the US would defend the island militarily if attacked by China, although administration officials insisted the US remained committed to “one China”. that policy.
The US, through the Taiwan Relations Act, is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, but officials have often remained deliberately vague about whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an attempted Chinese attack.
While Wu repeatedly emphasized that “the defense of Taiwan is our own responsibility,” he noted that in its relationship with its allies in the region, “the United States seems more determined than ever to create a situation (to) let China know that a military attack against Taiwan will be associated with a heavy cost. And we appreciate the United States for this posture.”
CNN’s Brad Lendon contributed reporting.
