Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has adopted an expansionist approach not only to annex Taiwan, but also to eradicate US influence in the western Pacific region, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said today.
China has normalized its military threats toward Taiwan since 2022, and Taipei is prepared to strengthen its defense capabilities and determination to defend itself, Chiu said at the Academic Conference on China’s Totalitarianism Model and Xi’s Rationale of Rule organized by Taiwan Thinktank.
Asked about China’s 7.2 percent increase of annual military budget, Chiu said Beijing does not only threaten Taiwan with military planes incursion, but also with diplomatic suppression, economic coercion, social infiltration, legal warfare, a series of information warfare and “gray zone” tactics.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Since Xi rose to power 13 years ago, he has taken on two extreme paths, with one being over-concentration of power and another one being provoking nationalism and patriotism, Chiu said.
These two extreme paths paved the way for “neo-totalitarianism” which combined far-left and far-right ideologies, exerting high pressure domestically and promoting expansionism externally, Chiu said.
Chiu called for unity and concerted efforts in the nation as Taiwan is at the front line of China’s expanding “neo-totalitarianism.”
Taiwan should understand the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) way of ruling and thinking to face the challenges and figure out the solutions, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Taiwan Thinktank cofounder, said at the conference.
The CCP regime is not sustainable as the fruits of capitalism have been exhausted, Lin said.
The CCP’s power relies on digital technology and China’s WTO membership, he said.
China has no systematic way to resolve internal conflicts, while externally, a digital warfare has started amid the competition between the US and China, he said.
Washington has recognized China’s rise as a threat which Taiwan should face together with the international community, he said.
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