FOR A 5TH DAY TODAY, CHINA CONDUCTED MILITARY DRILLS IN
WATERS AND AIRSPACE AROUND TAIWAN.
THE EXERCISES BEGAN LAST WEEK AFTER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY
PELOSI VISITED THE SELF GOVERNING ISLAND.
TAIWAN SAYS CHINA IS DELIBERATELY CREATING A CRISIS.
CNN'S WILL RIPLEY SPOKE TO TAIWAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER ABOUT
THE GROWING TENSION. >> CHINESE OFFICIALS ONLY
RECEIVED CONFIRMATION OF WHEN NANCY PELOSI WOULD VISIT THE
VERY LAST MINUTE. THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY INPUT
ABOUT THE TIMING OF THE TRIP. IT WAS POSTPONED AFTER SPEAKER
PELOSI CAME DOWN WITH COVID BACK IN APRIL.
THE TIMING WAS CRUCIAL, BECAUSE IT CAME JUST MONTHS BEFORE A
SENSITIVE POLITICAL GATHERING IN BEIJING.
CHINA IS BLAMING THE TIMING OF THE VISIT ON THE MILITARY
DRILLS THAT HAVE BEEN ONGOING EVER SINCE.
BUT I WANT FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS, HE DOESN'T.
BY HE SAYS IS JUST PART OF A CHINESE CAMPAIGN TO INTIMIDATE
TAIWAN AND ISOLATE THEM ON A GLOBAL STAGE.
>> AS TAIWAN WAS LIGHTING UP A LANDMARK FOR U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER,
NANCY PELOSI, CHINA WAS LIGHTING UP THE SKIES.
AND SEAS, A ROUND THE SELF GOVERNING DEMOCRACY.
A DEMOCRACY IN DANGER OF A CHINESE TAKEOVER, IF BEIJING'S
COMMUNIST RULERS GET THEIR WAY. PELOSI WAS IN TAIWAN LESS THAN
24 HOURS. LEAVING BEHIND A CRISIS SOME
SAY SHE HELPED CREATE. >> WAS THERE ANY CONCERN IN
TAIPEI ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS AND WHETHER IT MIGHT PROVOKE
SOME SORT OF REACTION FROM CHINA?
>> WE KNEW THE CHINA ALWAYS REACTED BADLY WHENEVER WE HAD
GOOD FRIENDS COMING TO VISIT US.
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT CANNOT DICTATE WHO CAN COME AND WHO
CANNOT COME. AND THEY CANNOT DICTATE TAIWAN,
WHO CAN BE OUR FRIENDS OR WHO WE SHOULD MAKE FRIENDS WITH.
>> FORWARD IF CHINA GOES FURTHER AS A RESULT OF THESE
VISITS? OR USING THIS VISIT AS AN
EXCUSE? DO THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE
RISK FOR TAIWAN? >> ONE, IS WHAT CHINA IS DOING
IS UNWARRANTED. AND WHAT IT IS DOING IS
UPSETTING THE PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE WESTERN
PACIFIC. AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD
NOT BE WELCOMED BY INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
>> TAIWAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER, JOSEPH WU, TELL CNN CHINA'S
WERE GAMES ARE FORMED ISOLATING THE ISLAND.
PELOSI, THE MOST POWERFUL POLITICIAN TO VISIT IN 25
YEARS. >> IS TAIWAN A MORE DANGER
TODAY THAN IT WAS BEFORE NANCY PELOSI'S VISIT?
>> CHINA HAS ALWAYS BEEN THREATENING TAIWAN.
FOR YEARS. AND IT IS GETTING MORE SERIOUS
IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.
WHETHER SPEAKER PELOSI VISITS TAIWAN OR NOT, THE CHINESE
MILITARY THREAT AGAINST TAIWAN HAS ALREADY BEEN THERE.
>> WOULD YOU BELIEVE CHINA'S MOTIVATION IS?
AND DO YOU THINK THEIR TIMELINE HAS CHANGED?
>> CHINA'S MOTIVATION, AS I SAID A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, IS
NOT GOING TO END AT TAIWAN. THEY CLAIM THE EAST CHINA SEA,
THEY CLAIM SOUTH CHINA SEA. THEY WORK VERY HARD TO GO TO
THE PACIFIC. THEIR INFLUENCE IN SOUTH ASIA
AND AFRICA, EVEN IN LATIN AMERICA, IS UNPRECEDENTED THESE
DAYS. AND THEREFORE, IT HAS A GLOBAL
AMBITION. >> AMBITION DRIVEN BY CHINA'S
MOST POWERFUL LEADER SINCE MAO. XI JINPING, ON TRACK TO BECOME
PRESIDENT FOR LIFE. WITH A BURNING DESIRE TO UNIFY
WITH TAIWAN, BY FORCE IF NECESSARY.
>> HAS TAIWAN'S DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM EVER BEEN IN MORE DANGER
THAN IT IS TODAY? >> I CAN TELL YOU THE TAIWAN IS
MORE RESILIENT THAN BEFORE. LOOK AT TAIWAN THESE DAYS.
CHINA IS TRYING TO IMPOSE TRADE SANCTIONS AGAINST TAIWAN,
TRYING TO ATTACK TAIWAN FROM MILITARY OR NON MILITARY
ASPECTS. BUT LIFE GOES ON HERE IN
TAIWAN. >> SHOULD PEOPLE IN BE MORE
WORRIED? >> IF YOU ASK ME, I WORRY.
A LITTLE BIT. >> WHAT DO YOU WORRY ABOUT?
>> I WORRY CHINA MAY REALLY LAUNCH A WAR AGAINST TAIWAN.
BUT WHAT IT'S DOING RIGHT NOW, IS TRYING TO SCARE US.
AND THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH, IT TO SHOW TO CHINA, THAT WE
ARE NOT SCARED. >> CHINA IS DEFENDING ITS
ACTIONS AS, LEGITIMATE, JUSTIFIED, BECAUSE THEY CLAIM
THE TAIWAN IS A PART OF CHINA. EVEN THOUGH THE COMMUNIST
RULERS IN BEIJING HAVE NEVER WON OVER THE LAST 70 PLUS YEARS
-- CHINA SAYS THE VISIT OF NANCY
PELOSI -- IT COULD UNDERMANNED THE PEACE
AND STABILITY OF THE TAIWAN. STRAIGHT BUT HERE IN TAIWAN,
THEY SAY CHINA UNDERMINING -- AND THEY NEED TO BRING IN
FRIENDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO SEE THE SITUATION HERE.
AND HELP TAIWAN IF THE TIME COMES.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN, TAIPEI.