China might use force against Taiwan if Beijing perceives Taipei as a soft target, and the way to help avoid such an attack is to bolster the country's defenses, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu told The Hill on Tuesday.
He acknowledged, however, during a briefing with international reporters at the Taiwan Foreign Ministry, that Taipei needs to earn U.S. military assistance and diplomatic backing as it copes with a potential Chinese invasion or blockade.
“If we do not have the determination to fight for ourselves, we don’t have the right to ask other countries to fight for Taiwan, or to support Taiwan if there’s going to be a fight,” Wu said. “So this is the expression of our strong determination to defend ourselves.”
His comments come as the United States is expected to announce $500 million in direct military assistance for Taiwan by invoking a presidential authority that provides an immediate transfer of arms directly from U.S. stockpiles.
The assistance is meant to deliver vital supplies needed by the Taiwanese armed forces at a time when $19 billion in direct military sales are held up amid production challenges, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said earlier in the week, according to the Taipei Times.
U.S. officials have warned that Chinese President Xi Jinping is making preparations to initiate an invasion of Taiwan as early as 2027. In an attempt to exert economic control of the island, Beijing may also be contemplating launching a blockade of Taiwan.
Drawing parallels to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration, as well as lawmakers from both parties, have said that backing Taiwan in order to help deter aggressive action by the People’s Republic of China is a vital American interest.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.