TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is committed to defending its democracy from a Chinese invasion, Representative to the U.S. Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) said in a Bloomberg interview released on Saturday (June 15).
“We are determined to keep the way we live, the way we are,” Yui said, adding that Taiwan would uphold its democracy whether China likes it or not. He noted that many experts and officials predicted China would strike Taiwan in 2027, which is the 100th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army. However, he said “We don’t know” whether an attack will come.
He said Taiwan must make proper preparations no matter what happens. “Any concept or any strategy that deals with stopping mainland China from thinking about attacking Taiwan is a good one.”
Taiwan has increased its defense budget and adjusted to an asymmetric defense strategy, Yui said. It is also receiving help from “many friends including the United States to deal with this possible threat,” he said.
He acknowledged the U.S. delay in arms shipments to Taiwan but said certain measures such as the presidential drawdown authority and foreign military financing have alleviated some of the pressure to speed up the arms deliveries. Taiwan is “still coordinating with the U.S.” to find other ways to accelerate the process, he said.
The representative also highlighted the “bicameral and bipartisan” U.S. support for Taiwan. He called Taiwan-U.S. relations “rock solid” and said, “We are very confident that this relationship will continue as is.”