TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Chih-chung (吳志中) on Tuesday dismissed a recent Time Magazine op-ed by US scholar Lyle Goldstein as pro-China and isolationist, saying President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) defense of democracy is clear to the world, per CNA.

Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at the Washington think tank Defense Priorities, argued in Time that Lai’s cross-strait policy risks making Taiwan “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint.”

Speaking to reporters before a legislative session, Wu said the piece was a personal commentary rather than a Time news report. He said the author’s long-standing pro-China stance and leaning toward US isolationism are well known.

Wu rejected Goldstein’s argument as inaccurate, stressing that Taiwan’s commitment to freedom and democracy has been demonstrated under Lai’s leadership.

Wu also mentioned his participation in a Formosa Club event a day earlier, where European parliamentarians voiced support for Taiwan. The legislators recognized that Taiwan stands at the forefront of defending universal values, he said.