The Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-wen, has said that though Taiwan will never seek military confrontations with any of its neighbours, it will defend itself against any aggression including internal and external misinformation threatening to destroy its democracy.
The President, who spoke during the opening ceremony of the 74th World News Media Congress organised by the World Association of News Publishers in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, added that the country’s military was undergoing major preparedness aimed at positioning it to better respond to current and future challenges.
Ing-wen, who is Taiwan’s first female president elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, while welcoming over 900 media leaders and accomplished editors from 58 countries to Taipei, said, “Taiwan would never seek military confrontation. It has been working for peaceful, stable, predictable, and mutually beneficial coexistence with its neighbours. But it will also defend itself, particularly, by working diligently to counter disinformation campaigns when its democracy is threatened.”
The maintenance of regional security, according to her, remains a significant part of Taiwan’s overall government policy.
“We are fully committed to collaborating with our neighbours and democratic partners to prevent armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the East and South China Seas,” she added.
On the country’s drive to strengthen its military, she explained, “Taiwan has launched initiatives to make its military better prepared for both present and future challenges. These initiatives are meant to maximise Taiwan’s self-sufficiency and preparedness and to demonstrate that we are willing to bear our share of the burden, and do not take our security partners’ support for granted.”
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the end of the 1949 civil war when communist forces defeated the nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek.
China’s President Xi Jinping considers Taiwan a breakaway Chinese territory that must be reunited with mainland China, even if it will require the use of force.
Though China has discouraged nations around the world from maintaining official relations with Taiwan, an action which has degenerated into severe diplomatic isolation for the democratically -ruled island, the United States has remained the island’s most important ally, a relationship that has continued to stoke China-US tensions. These tensions were further recently exacerbated by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
In response to Pelosi’s visit, Beijing launched military exercises around Taiwan and reportedly pulled the plug on official military dialogues with the US. This has continued in the form of sustained military threats from China against Taiwan thus heightening tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
For instance, Taiwan’s defence ministry had on Friday morning spotted 11 Chinese aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial barrier between the two sides.
“A total of 24 Chinese warplanes including fighter jets and bombers were spotted near Taiwan on Friday morning from around 8 a.m. (00:00 GMT),” the defence ministry was quoted by Reuters, adding that five Chinese battleships also joined a “joint war readiness patrol.”
Taiwan’s defence ministry leadership was said to have sent aircraft and ships to ward off the Chinese while monitoring their activities via the Taiwanese missile systems.
A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters the Chinese activities on Friday were likely a reaction to the visit to Taipei made by a U.S. congressional delegation led by the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department on Thursday approved the potential sale of ammunition and logistics supply support to Taiwan in two separate deals valued at up to $440m, Reuters has reported.
Taipei Times, on Friday, quoted Presidential Office spokesperson, Olivia Lin, as thanking the US for honouring its commitments to Taiwan’s security by providing the nation with defensive weapons in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,”
The arms sales “fully demonstrated that the US government attaches great importance to Taiwan’s national defence needs,” she said. ” Taiwan would continue to demonstrate its determination to defend itself and strengthen its defence capabilities to safeguard the security and interests of the nation.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said that the sales would boost the nation’s resilience against China’s “expanding threats of military and grey zone tactics,” which it said had posed “severe threats” to Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also said to have issued a statement to thank the US for the arms sales.
The ministry said, “Taiwan has an unwavering determination to defend itself in the face of China’s continued military expansion and provocative actions. Taiwan would continue to strengthen its self-defence capabilities while deepening its close security partnership with the US to jointly safeguard the rules-based international order, and ensure regional peace, stability and prosperity.”
The Taiwanese President had, during the World News Media Congress opening, described the rising cases of ‘well-funded, large-scale disinformation campaigns, making extensive use of internal and external propaganda to influence Taiwan’s democracy.’
She called on democracies around the world to combine efforts aimed at fighting and defeating disinformation.
“Media freedom and information integrity affect us all, and, disinformation directly influences our way of life,” Ing-wen said.
“Coming together to discuss the most pressing issues facing the industry and democracy is what we should be doing now,” she added.
The President of the World Association of News Publishers, Fernando de Yarza, who heads the Madrid-based communications and technology group, Henneo, said holding the global news congress in Taiwan was a show of support for the nation.
He said, “To be in Taiwan in 2023 is a statement supporting democracy and free press at the time of heightened international tension. The world press shows its support by coming to Taiwan.”
“We of course are right here at the moment of great importance for Taiwan, the region and indeed the world,” he said, adding that tensions across the Taiwan Strait had put “all those who care for the democratic way of life very much on a high alert.”
He added that it was important for the world to back the Taiwanese people’s rights to choose their destiny, determine their future and live in peace.
