Taiwan security chief urges closer Europe ties against authoritarianism

Berlin, Oct. 17 (CNA) Taiwan's top national security official said Thursday that peace in the Taiwan Strait is closely tied to Europe's interests, calling for closer Taiwan-Europe cooperation in the face of growing authoritarian expansion.

Speaking at the Taiwan Forum, hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said China and Russia are cooperating closely in many areas, making it impossible to treat the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific theaters as separate.

Wu cited a NATO report as saying that China is the "decisive enabler" of Russia's war in Ukraine.

He also noted that Russia is China's most important energy supplier.

He also echoed earlier remarks by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is increasingly interconnected.

Wu said China is seeking to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through coercion and hybrid warfare, citing military drills, air and naval activity, undersea cable sabotage, election interference and infiltration operations as growing threats to Taiwan.

He said Taiwan and Europe should deepen cooperation in advanced technologies, combining Taiwan's strengths in semiconductors, manufacturing and supply chains with Europe's expertise in research and engineering, as well as its capital and markets.

(By Lin Shan-ying and Shih Hsiu-chuan)

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