Escuche esta historia

--:--

3:02

Taiwan fears that China will attack them taking advantage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Glendy Narea
3 min de lectura
Taiwan fears that China will attack them taking advantage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Chinese planes circling the skies of Taiwan

Taiwan's government is concerned about a possible attack from Beijing, as Chinese planes began circling its air defense zone on Thursday.

Tsai Ing-Wen, president of Taiwan, commented that Chinese efforts to gain ground in her country have been increasing in recent times.

"The differences are much greater than in Ukraine. For many on our island, the war in Ukraine and war in general feel distant," said the president.

Taking into account that Russia's attack on Ukraine has persisted, many analysts, experts on the subject and Internet users have compared the situation that Ukraine is experiencing with Taiwan, since for them they are likely to experience the same scenario from their close neighbor., China.

This is because the president of this nation, Xi Jimping, considers that Taiwan belongs to them.

Although there is much similarity with the situation in Ukraine, others consider that Taiwan has remained much stronger in relation to the threats of a much more powerful authoritarian government.

If an attack on Taiwan happens, will the US intervene?

Given that the United States did not send any troops or support to defend Ukraine and also has no official ties with Taiwan, there is uncertainty that if an attack on their nation happens they could act in the same way.

Although, a point in favor is the historical relations that they have and the billions in arms that Taiwan buys from them, which could force them, according to their own law, to guarantee a good defense for Taiwan.

Kao-Cheng Wang, professor at the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan, explained that this nation is a strong producer of semiconductors used in everything from phones to cars.

"Taiwan's economy and technology are important to the US. Because of this, they may value our nation more. But we still have to wait to see how the conflict develops," said Kao-Cheng Wang.

History of China and Taiwan

Taiwan is an island located 160 kilometers off the east coast of China. It has approximately 23 million inhabitants and is governed by itself, but despite this, China claims it as part of its jurisdiction.

The situation between China and Taiwan had been going on for many decades, but it was not until the independence fighter, Tsai Ing-wen, assumed the presidency of the island in 2014. Since then, China increased its military pressure and began sending ships and planes fighting towards their territory.

China and Taiwan were divided during the 1949 civil war. At that time, the United States severed formal diplomatic relations with the city of Tapei, the capital of Taiwan, to recognize Beijing in China.

Proposal for "peaceful reunification" of China

Although Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed "peaceful reunification" as the best option for both territories, China's cabinet has not acted in the same way, as its Taiwan Affairs Office constantly issued aggressive threats, with the goal of eliminating political movements in Taiwan.

For its part, China has not ruled out applying force if necessary to achieve reunification, but for now, military action by China towards Taiwan is unlikely, and any external events they may do will not have a significant impact on the island.

Responses