Taiwan sees Ukraine as an example of a country aiming to defend itself from a military invasion carried out by a hostile and authoritarian neighbor.
Kyiv’s self-defense against Russian attacks illustrates what democracy and freedom mean to a country that needs to fight to preserve them.
Taiwan has formally labeled China as a “foreign hostile force,” thus setting up new national measures to confront every type of pressure exercised by Bejing.
In this regard, deepening ties with Ukraine could prove beneficial to boost Taipei’s security infrastructure with the necessary expertise to deal with Chinese threats.
Moreover, the Taiwan-Ukraine partnership is also values-oriented, as the two countries are pursuing a consistent and uniform foreign policy focused on promoting democracy, human rights and compliance with international law.
As Ukraine struggles to rebuild after three years of a devastating war, Taipei is looking at joining other allies, in particular from eastern Europe, in cooperative projects aimed at delivering practical support to Ukrainians.
In this regard, Taiwan formed a partnership with Estonia to finance the construction of a home for displaced families in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr Oblast. As Representative to Latvia Andrew Lee (李憲章) said during the opening ceremony of the agreement, the “Family-type house in Ukraine” is the second joint project specifically designed for children orphaned by the war.
This signals Taiwan’s commitment to working with like-minded countries to foster Ukraine’s economic and social transformation and strengthen the nation’s resilience in difficult times.
Another important partner to cooperate with in assisting Ukraine is Lithuania, one of Taiwan’s closest European allies. Taipei cofinanced the reconstruction of a kindergarten in Borodyanka, a town near Kyiv. It was the first project implemented under the Taiwan-Lithuania joint project, marked by Taiwan’s US$5 million donation, for reconstruction initiatives in Ukraine.
“Taiwan believes that Ukrainian children should not be deprived of their right to education because of an invasion by an authoritarian nation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Earlier this month, Representative to the UK Vincent Yao (姚金祥) signed an agreement with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development official Nadia Petkova to assist Ukraine in improving its labor environment.
As Ukraine is struggling with the disrupting effects to the labor market caused by Russia’s invasion, Taipei’s support could prove beneficial to working conditions and improve workplace environments.
This is another illustration of Taiwan’s willingness to stand as a true ally in critical times. Ukraine’s path to reconstruction, fraught with obstacles and complicated by the ones that should facilitate it, is the point from which the “rebirth of Ukraine” must start. It is where allies should demonstrate their reliability.
Taiwan is increasingly seen as a true partner by Ukrainians, as evidenced by the outcomes of a conference on aid to Ukraine in November last year, when a representative of the Chernihiv Oblast for the Association of Ukrainian Cities underscored that Taiwan’s “efforts have helped thousands of children in the region attend school normally, despite the threats of missiles.”
As for official ties, Andriy Sadovyi in December last year became the first Ukrainian mayor to visit Taiwan. In Taipei, he held a series of meetings with local government officials and businesses to enhance bilateral relations. The mayor of Lviv thanked Taiwan for funding the renovation of a medical building providing post-surgery rehabilitation services in his city, announcing that, once completed, it would be named the “Taiwan Friendship Building.”
The outcomes of that visit signaled both parties’ willingness to deepen their partnership to attain beneficial gains. Taiwan is proving, through humanitarian assistance and ideological support, to be a reliable ally. Ukraine could exploit this opportunity to develop a strategic relationship aimed at promoting a values-oriented international environment conducive to the respect of international law.
Michele Maresca is an analyst at Il Caffe Geopolitico, an online international law journal, and the think tank Geopol21.
The first Donald Trump term was a boon for Taiwan. The administration regularized the arms sales process and enhanced bilateral ties. Taipei will not be so fortunate the second time around. Given recent events, Taiwan must proceed with the assumption that it cannot count on the United States to defend it — diplomatically or militarily — during the next four years. Early indications suggested otherwise. The nomination of Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State and the appointment of Mike Waltz as the national security advisor, both of whom have expressed full-throated support for Taiwan in the past, raised hopes that
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
There is nothing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could do to stop the tsunami-like mass recall campaign. KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) reportedly said the party does not exclude the option of conditionally proposing a no-confidence vote against the premier, which the party later denied. Did an “actuary” like Chu finally come around to thinking it should get tough with the ruling party? The KMT says the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is leading a minority government with only a 40 percent share of the vote. It has said that the DPP is out of touch with the electorate, has proposed a bloated
Authorities last week revoked the residency permit of a Chinese social media influencer surnamed Liu (劉), better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), who has more than 440,000 followers online and is living in Taiwan with a marriage-based residency permit, for her “reunification by force” comments. She was asked to leave the country in 10 days. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) on Tuesday last week announced the decision, citing the influencer’s several controversial public comments, including saying that “China does not need any other reason to reunify Taiwan with force” and “why is it [China] hesitant
RSS