TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on July 28 highlighted the threat that China poses to Taiwan and detailed the progress of Taiwan-U.S. relations in a virtual interview with Kuwaiti think tank Reconnaissance Research.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) revealed on Tuesday (Aug. 3) that the foreign minister had talked with Reconnaissance Research’s founder and CEO Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Anjeri. Wu said that the international community has repeatedly expressed concern about the frequent incursions of Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and recognized that China’s destabilizing actions in the Taiwan Strait have “posed a serious challenge to the peace and order of the Indo-Pacific region.”

Wu said that from January 1 to June 26, 2021, “China sent a total of 354 military aircraft on 114 incursions into Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ.” He added that Beijing has been conducting military drills to intimidate Taipei and continued to suppress its participation in international organizations.

He noted that world leaders have repeatedly affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the strait during various meetings, including the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), U.S.-Japan summit, U.S.-South Korea summit, EU-Japan summit, and G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting. This demonstrates that the strait is not only a cross-strait concern but one for the global community, Wu maintained.

Wu also called the U.S. Taiwan's “most staunch ally and strategic partner.” Since January, President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have publicly expressed their firm support for Taiwan on different occasions, the foreign minister said. Their commitment to Taiwan is "rock-solid," he added.

Additionally, Wu stated that the Middle East’s role in energy supply is extremely important to Taiwan. The East Asian nation is actively promoting cooperation and friendly relations with countries in that region, he said.

Wu’s interview was later published in Kuwaiti’s English-language newspaper Arab Times.

Research Reconnaissance was established in April 2019 and is Kuwait's first private independent research think tank.