Against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Taiwan is hoping to avoid a similar clash with their neighbors only 90 miles away in China.
In a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Bi-Khim Hsiao, the current Taiwanese representative to the U.S., spoke to the media about the current state of her nation.
Asked if any signs from China pointed toward an imminent attack on Taiwan within the next two years, Hsiao made it clear that a timeline was not evident in the matter — although the Chinese Communist Party has been trying to have Taiwan under its rule for decades.
As for President Biden's statements publicly backing Taiwan, she emphasized that a commitment between Washington and Taipei must be taken seriously. On multiple occasions, Hsaio outlined the defense of Taiwan as a bipartisan issue and praised the cooperation Taiwan has received from both parties in Congress.
The idea of the conflict in Ukraine deterring Americans from publicly supporting Taiwan was shot down by the Taiwanese envoy. She did, however, highlight the importance of increasing initiatives to support Taiwan in the U.S.
Maintaining the status quo was underscored by Hsiao, as no aggression has yet to be shown by China. However, she referred to pushing back on any potential aggression as a key part of the Taiwanese agenda.
Taiwan's inclusion on the international stage was also brought to the table by Hsiao.
Specifically, Taiwan had sent an email to the World Health Organization three weeks prior to the WHO recognizing COVID-19 as a transmittable disease. Hsiao noted that those warnings to the WHO had either been ignored or simply not heeded.
This, she said, had a catastrophic effect on the world.
"What was evident in COVID-19," she said, "is that exclusion of any expertise, parties or any information at an early stage had disastrous consequences for the world."
Chinese disinformation and meddling from Beijing may have affected the outcome of the last Taiwanese election, she said. Hsiao remained positive, saying, "We do have a sustainable, stable, international outlook that can be carried on regardless of the outcome of elections."
Christopher Savino is a rising senior at Rutgers University and summer intern at the Washington, D.C., office of Newsmax.
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