China isn’t backing down from its claim to ownership of Taiwan, and Beijing may be closely observing the world’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to weigh if the cost of launching an assault against Taiwan would be worth it.
Beijing wants the reunification of Taiwan with mainland China and growing tensions between the two have prompted warnings from the United States that America will back Taiwan in the event of a war.
China questioned America’s commitment to Taiwan, and while Beijing claims there’s no comparison between its relationship with Taiwan and Russia’s relationship with Ukraine, a soft approach to Russia could factor into China’s decision-making.
On Wednesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters Taiwan is “for sure is not Ukraine.” Hua claimed the territory for China, calling it an “inalienable part” of the country, a belief that Hua labeled an “indisputable historical and legal fact.” It’s a talking point China’s held firm to despite pressure from Western leaders to respect Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Former President Donald Trump has predicted that China will invade Taiwan after taking inspiration from Russia moving troops into Ukraine. During a Tuesday interview on the conservative talk radio program The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Trump suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping would follow the example of his “twin sister” Russian President Vladimir Putin by staging an invasion of the disputed island.
The former president insisted that Russia would have “never” moved to invade Ukraine under his presidency, while suggesting that both Putin and Xi sensed weakness in President Joe Biden. “China is gonna be next,” said Trump. “Absolutely. Not with me, they wouldn’t have …
They’re waiting ’til after the Olympics. Now the Olympics ended, and look at your stopwatch, right? No, he wants that just like … It’s almost like twin sisters right here.” “Because you have one that wants Taiwan, I think, equally badly,” he continued. “Somebody said, ‘Who wants it more?’ I think probably equally badly. But, no, Putin would have never done it, and Xi would have never done it [during the Trump administration].”
