China says Taiwan is ‘not Ukraine’ as island raises alert level

BEIJING/TAIPEI, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Taiwan is “not Ukraine” and has always been an inalienable part of China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called on the island to increase its vigilance over the army. activities in response to the crisis.

The comments come after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flagged the risk to Taiwan in a warning last week of adverse global consequences if Western nations fail to fulfill their pledges to back Ukraine’s independence. Read more

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military activity near the self-governing island over the past two years, although Taiwan has not reported any recent unusual moves by Chinese forces amid tension on the Ukraine has grown.

Speaking in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying dismissed any link between Ukraine and Taiwan issues.

“Taiwan is not Ukraine,” she said. “Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China. This is an indisputable legal and historical fact.

The Taiwan issue is a remnant of the civil war, but China’s integrity should never have been compromised and has never been compromised, Hua added.

The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war to the Communists, who created the People’s Republic of China.

The Taiwan government firmly opposes China’s territorial claims. Tsai says Taiwan is an independent state called the Republic of China, which remains Taiwan’s official name.

All security and military units “must increase their monitoring and early warning of military developments around the Taiwan Strait”, Tsai told a meeting of the task force on the Ukraine crisis set up by his Security Council. national.

Taiwan and Ukraine are fundamentally different in terms of geostrategy, geography and international supply chains, she added, in meeting details provided by her office.

“But in the face of foreign forces who intend to manipulate the situation in Ukraine and affect the morale of Taiwanese society, all government units should strengthen the prevention of cognitive warfare launched by foreign forces and local collaborators.” , said Tsai.

The statement does not mention China by name, but the country is the most significant military threat facing Taiwan.

Tsai expressed his “empathy” for the situation in Ukraine due to the military threat the island faces from China. Read more

Reporting by Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard and Emily Chow; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Clarence Fernandez

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