Taiwan 'will not escalate, but will not yield' to Chinese intimidation, foreign minister warns

EXCLUSIVE: Taiwan’s overseas curate says China has "clearly go a troublemaker that is maliciously attempting to disrupt the cross-strait presumption quo and intimidate peaceful countries."

In exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said China’s intensifying "authoritarian expansionism not lone straight threatens Taiwan’s information and antiauthoritarian strategy but besides poses important challenges to bid and stableness successful the Indo-Pacific portion and astir the world."

"Last June," Lin said, "[Chinese] craft carriers Liaoning and Shandong maneuvered beyond the 2nd land chain, marking China’s archetypal simultaneous, dual-carrier deployment into the Western Pacific. These developments show that Beijing’s expansionist ambitions widen acold beyond Taiwan and airs an progressively superior menace to the information and stableness of the Indo-Pacific portion and the world."

TAIWAN GENERAL WARNS CHINA’S MILITARY DRILLS COULD BE PREPARATION FOR BLOCKADE OR WAR, VOWS TO RESIST

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung answers questions from media during an planetary property briefing successful Taipei connected July 19, 2024.  (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng/Afp via Getty Images)

Communist China was founded successful 1949 and has not ruled Taiwan for a azygous day. Officially known arsenic the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan is presently recognized by eleven tiny countries, positive the Holy See. Beijing nevertheless rejects the world of astir 80 years of abstracted rule, describing Taiwan arsenic a "sacred and inseparable portion of China’s territory."

China’s posture toward independently ruled Taiwan has hardened successful caller years arsenic President Xi Jinping removed word limits and consolidated near-total power. While earlier Chinese statements included speech of "peaceful unification," Beijing present openly threatens to usage force. 

In 2024, Xi directed the Chinese subject to implicit preparations for a Taiwan cognition by 2027. Most defence analysts hold that an penetration would beryllium costly, bloody and highly risky for China, Taiwan and immoderate countries that travel to Taiwan’s aid, specified arsenic the United States oregon Japan.

The subject exercises mobilizing the Chinese PLA Navy, Army, Air Force and the Chinese Coast Guards, which are deemed arsenic punishment for Taiwan's refusal to taxable to regularisation by Beijing. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Lin echoed those warnings that a struggle successful the Taiwan Strait would reverberate worldwide. "Peace and stableness crossed the Taiwan Strait are captious to planetary information and prosperity," Lin said, noting that astir 90% of the world’s astir precocious semiconductors are produced successful Taiwan and that astir 50% of planetary commercialized shipping passes done the strait. He added that Taiwan is grateful to the United States and different partners for resisting China’s efforts to unilaterally change the presumption quo.

The overseas curate said Taiwan’s cardinal relation successful geopolitics, exertion and proviso chains ensures that Washington places a precocious precedence connected cross-strait stability. He said U.S. policymakers recognize that Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacture and related proviso chains are captious to American economical security.

CHINA SURROUNDS TAIWAN WITH WARSHIPS, FIGHTER JETS IN LARGEST MILITARY DRILLS ON RECORD

A nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic rocket submarine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is seen during a subject show successful the South China Sea April 12, 2018.  (Reuters/Stringer)

"There is wide strategical continuity betwixt the policies of President Trump’s archetypal and 2nd terms," said Lin, adding that Taiwan’s authorities volition question ways to coordinate with the United States "through values-based, confederation and economical diplomacy."

Commenting connected Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, Lin said, "The Trump medication and U.S. Congress proceed to show a steadfast committedness to safeguarding bid and information crossed the Indo-Pacific region," Lin said, "which was emphasized successful the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS)." The overseas curate besides noted that "the caller NSS released by the Trump medication underscored Taiwan’s geopolitical value arsenic a nexus betwixt the Northeast and Southeast Asian theaters."

Chinese President Xi Jinping, besides wide caput of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of the Central Military Commission, reviews the troops during his inspection of the Chinese People's Liberation Army PLA garrison stationed successful the Macao Special Administrative Region, southbound China, Dec. 20, 2024. (Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Lin said Taiwan is moving to rebalance commercialized with the United States portion strengthening strategical practice connected AI. "The Trump administration’s AI Action Plan," helium said, "underscores the value of innovation, infrastructure and planetary practice for AI development." 

He besides touted Taiwan’s increasing investments successful the U.S., including a $165 cardinal committedness by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) successful Arizona, and said Taipei is moving to marque it easier for Taiwanese companies trying to put successful the U.S.. "Against the backdrop of U.S.-China strategical contention and the restructuring of planetary proviso chains," said Lin, "Taiwan’s enterprises recognize the singular imaginable of investing successful the United States."

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Lin Chia-lung, present Taiwan's overseas minister, speaks to reporters arsenic past furniture spokesperson connected Wednesday, March 24, 2004. (David Hartung/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The overseas curate said Taiwan appreciates expanding American subject support, highlighting that "Last December, the United States approved an arms income bundle to Taiwan totaling $11 cardinal arsenic good arsenic signing the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. These measures underscore the steadfast bipartisan enactment for Taiwan successful the U.S. government."

But helium stressed that Taiwan is accelerating its ain defence investments. "Last year, [Taiwan] President Lai Ching-te announced that Taiwan’s defence fund would summation to implicit 3% of GDP by 2026 and emergence to 5% by 2030," helium said. While parts of that program person faced absorption successful the opposition-led legislature, some large parties person publically backed person information practice with the United States and a stronger deterrence posture.