Taiwan vows to defend itself against Beijing, but would Japan join in?
- If a war occurs, ‘we’ll fight it ourselves’, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells Tokyo
- Yet signs that Japan’s approach to handling Beijing may be evolving are indicative of international concerns
Wu said Taiwan did not anticipate a military conflict any time soon, but whether one were to happen tomorrow or in 10 years, the key element would be preparation.
“Defending Taiwan is our own responsibility and we’re absolutely committed in our self-defence,” he said. “If there’s going to be a war between Taiwan and China, we’ll fight the war ourselves. If other countries will come to our aid, that would be highly appreciated. But we will fight the war for our own survival, for our own future.”
Wu’s comments came with current and former US military officials having used Japan in recent days as a springboard to raise alerts about what they termed a growing mainland military threat to Taiwan and a destabilising force in Asia.
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The warnings also stressed that the US needed to bolster its military preparedness in the region. With most US military assets in Asia based in Japan, the country appears to have become the locus for Washington’s resistance to what it regards as Beijing’s expansionism.