Taiwan Foreign Minister on Japan-China Spat

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00:00How much dialogue has Taipei had with Tokyo in the days and weeks following that?

00:05Has there been coordination on the response from Taiwan?

00:10Yes, because the so-called Taiwan contingency becomes a Japan contingency.

00:19Therefore, it's also a Japan-United States security contingency.

00:25You're talking about the survival doctrine, essentially.

00:30It's a survival situation, survival-threatening situation.

00:34Yes, yes.

00:35So we have very good communication channels with the Japanese government.

00:43So we are trying to manage the situation to avoid a situation out of control.

00:55So are you saying you're downplaying it?

00:59Because the response so far from Lai Ching-do, the president, has been fairly muted.

01:04Yes.

01:04So we show our support through, I think, a soft approach,

01:10suggesting that our people to travel to Japan, also to eat Japanese food.

01:22So we want to help cool down the situation.

01:27Because once the Chinese national sentiment stimulated,

01:34it would be, to some extent, out of control.

01:40So I think even for Beijing, it's also not in its interest to escalate the conflicts.

01:51Do you believe, though, with Prime Minister Takeichi-san essentially linking Japan's security to Taiwan's security,

01:58does that indicate to you that Japan is willing to shoulder more of the security requirements,

02:05either diplomatically or militarily, in the East Asia?

02:11Yes, indeed.

02:11I think we have to share the burdens in terms of defense capabilities and also through diplomatic way

02:25to community the situation in the Indo-Pacific.

02:32So I think the situation shows that we are coordinating with the United States

02:47in defending the status quo,

02:54trying to avoid the Chinese authoritarian expansionism in this region.

03:01So in the Indo-Pacific, we don't have a collective security arrangement, such as the NATO.

03:11So we have to strengthen our bilateral cooperation

03:15and even to bring all bilateral arrangements into a latest-like strategic framework.

03:25Right. Well, this downplaying of the situation is in lockstep, I guess, with why Taipei was fairly pleased, as well,

03:34that Donald Trump or the White House did not mention Taiwan in the readout of the recent phone call

03:39between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, where Beijing tried to make the case again

03:43for the post-World War II order, basically cedes Taiwan to the rightful leader of China,

03:52and that being, after 1949, being Beijing.

03:55Obviously, with Donald Trump not mentioning Taiwan, it takes it off the front burner,

04:01but at the same time, it does not allow Donald Trump a chance to reaffirm America's commitment to Taiwan.

04:07Do you question, under the Trump administration, their commitment to the defense and support of Taiwan?

04:14We have no doubt on the Trump administration's commitment to the regional security in the Indo-Pacific,

04:23especially the first island chain.

04:27So I think it's a different kind of strategic arrangement.

04:32How so? How is it different?

04:33By asking the U.S. allies to have this burden-sharing in terms of defense budget

04:43or to show our determination and resolve to defend ourselves.

04:49So for our side, President Lai Qingdao already adopted a series of policy

04:57to show our commitment for our self-defense strength strengthening.

05:06For example, the increase in defense budget

05:12and the extension of military service.

05:22Also, I think the whole society defense resilience.

05:27I think also the strengthening of asymmetrical warfare capability.

05:33So we have to try our best to show our determination and resolve

05:38in defense of Taiwan's democracy.

05:43What are you communicating to Tokyo?

05:46Do you want them to back down to cool tensions or stand ground?

05:50I think it's in everyone's interest to stabilize the current situation

05:58because once Xi Jinping mobilized his society through national sentiment,

06:10it's also not in Xi's interest

06:13because the economic downturn and also the rising unemployment rate

06:23and also the trade conflict with the United States.

06:29So I think it's not in everyone's interest

06:32to have the China-Japan dispute on the issues related to Taiwan to escalate.

06:43So by not provoking Beijing, you feel, this is the way I'm reading it,

06:47you feel that this could die down sooner?

06:50Yes, I think so.

06:51How long?

06:51Because I think Japan has already shown its willingness

06:58because it's in the parliament, yeah, it's in the QA session.

07:05Yeah.

07:05So they have some background, yeah.

07:09So it's not just a different policy change

07:17from the Japanese side.

07:21But for Beijing side, maybe take, I think, maybe a year

07:26to stabilize the situation.

07:30But for saving Xi Jinping's face,

07:33he has to do something to show his domination in the discipline.

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