《TAIPEI TIMES》 Minister lauds Estonia’s courage against China

DEVELOPING RELATIONS: While Taiwan works closely with partners to improve its defense, the nation is lucky to have friends worldwide voicing support, minister said

/ Staff writer, with CNA

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu （吳釗燮） on Wednesday praised Estonia for its courage in allowing him to speak in public, despite Chinese protests over a prospective Taiwanese representative office.

Addressing a seminar hosted by the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn, Wu said it was a great pleasure to make his first-ever visit to Estonia, adding that it was especially memorable to do so in his capacity as foreign minister.

“This is nothing easy. Some rich and powerful European governments are not equipped with the same courage. Here is my salute to Estonia,” Wu said.

Despite the geographical distance, Estonia and Taiwan are both facing authoritarian neighbors, namely Russia and the People’s Republic of China （PRC）, and made great strides in democratization around the same time in the early 1990s, Wu said.

The rising threat from China poses a risk to the global community, as more than 50 percent of global maritime commercial transportation goes through the Taiwan Strait and more than 60 percent of semiconductors are produced in Taiwan, Wu said.

“Therefore, any conflict in the Taiwan Strait will lead to severe consequences for not just the region, but the entire global economy. International concern over China’s unilateral attempts to change the ‘status quo’ is very effective in keeping PRC aggression at bay,” he said.

Facing these security challenges, Wu said that Taiwan is working closely with its partners, especially the US, to strengthen its defense capabilities.

Taiwan is also fortunate to have friends around the world voicing their support, including Estonia, Wu said.

These include Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, visiting Taiwan in August and former Estonian prime minister Andrus Ansip taking part in a high-level forum in Taipei in September.

Estonian Minister of Health Riina Sikkut also called for the inclusion of Taiwan during this year’s World Health Assembly, Wu said.

“We are truly grateful for these shows of support. You make us feel not alone in facing the PRC coercion,” he added.

Taiwan will continue to deepen its ties with like-minded partners such as Estonia “in every possible aspect to safeguard our values and the democratic way of life,” he said.

Wu is on a visit to Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania from Monday to Sunday to attend forums and give public speeches to underscore Taiwan’s resolve to safeguard democracy with like-minded countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs （MOFA） said.

EER News, the English-language service of Estonian Public Broadcasting, on Friday last week reported that the Estonian government had agreed to let Taiwan open an economic or cultural representative office in Tallinn using the name “Taipei.”

“Just like many other European Union countries, Estonia is ready to accept the establishment of a non-diplomatic economic or cultural representation of Taipei in order to promote such relations,” Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna was cited in the report as saying.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin （汪文斌） on Wednesday said that Beijing urged Estonia “to abide by its solemn commitment to the ‘one China’ principle ... [by] refraining from allowing Taiwan to set up any official organizations and effectively safeguarding the political basis of bilateral relations.”

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES