Taiwan has observed the conflict in Ukraine and drawn several lessons for its own confrontation with mainland China, the disputed island’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, told CNN in an interview aired on Sunday.
Wu argued that Beijing is hesitant to move on the island due to what he described as Russia’s lack of progress in Ukraine and the international community’s response.
Taiwan is “watching this very carefully,” Wu told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. “We try to see what we can learn from Ukraine in defending ourselves.”
Wu described Ukraine as being “on the frontline against Russia’s outward expansion,” and accused Russia of using the military “for its historical glory,” in what he said was a parallel to the China-Taiwan situation.
Taiwan’s two big takeaways from the conflict are that Ukraine is using “small personal weapons to go against a large enemy,” and that its male population is highly motivated. “They want to serve in the military. They want to go to the war zones to fight against Russia. That kind of spirit is enviable for the Taiwanese people,” Wu said.
Wu’s emphasis on “asymmetric capability,” such as Javelin and NLAW anti-tank rockets – widely promoted as wonder-weapons in Ukraine – is consistent with President Tsai Ing-wen’s government’s focus on such armaments. Tsai also hopes Washington would come to Taiwan’s aid directly, she told CNN in October.