JUDY WOODRUFF: Taiwan is the issue creating
the most tension right now between Beijing and the U.S.
China considers Taiwan a breakaway province. Taiwan argues that it serves as the front line
of democracy against Chinese authoritarianism, and is increasingly facing military harassment.
Nick Schifrin speaks to Taiwan's foreign minister and sets the scene.
NICK SCHIFRIN: In Taiwan, authorities fear drills are becoming reality.
Taiwanese pilots scramble American-made fighter jets to practice responding to Chinese military
incursions. Taiwanese soldiers practice defending their island from a would-be Chinese invasion.
Taiwan believes Beijing is preparing for war.
The Chinese military recently released this video of Chinese drills simulating amphibious assaults.
And, almost every day, Chinese jets cross Taiwan's self-identified Airspace Defense
Identification Zone. Never before have so many Chinese planes come so close to Taiwan.
Senior Biden administration officials tell "PBS NewsHour" they do not expect an imminent invasion.
But, in March, the outgoing top U.S. military commander in the region predicted war was coming.
ADM. PHILIP DAVIDSON Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command: I think the
threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, during the next six years.
NICK SCHIFRIN: The Trump administration increased arms sales to Taiwan.
The Biden administration continued expanded U.S. Naval operations,
and became the first administration to invite Taiwan's envoy to inauguration.
I spoke to Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, from Taipei,
and asked him what he believed were Beijing's intentions.
JOSEPH WU, Taiwanese Foreign Minister: I think Beijing has been preparing for war against Taiwan,
and that is what we have been seeing. They are preparing for it.
If you look at the number of sorties, it's around 2,900 times last year.
So, the threat has been increasing. And when we examine in a closer way,
the Chinese sometimes even cross the middle line of the Taiwan Strait.
And, you know, the middle of the Taiwan Strait has been safeguarding peace and stability
of the Taiwan Strait for decades. I think they are also trying to cut off Taiwan from
the international society. For example, they are trying to squeeze us out from
the international organizations. They prevent us from entering into the World
Health Organization. They are preventing us from getting international recognition.
They are forcing other countries not to have official contact with us. And, moreover, Chinese
are also engaging in cognitive warfare. They use cyberattack, disinformation,
and something similar to disrupt the democratic process here in Taiwan, to create
a conflict in between the government and the society,
or to create a distrust in between Taiwan and our major ally, which is the United States.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Focusing on the military threat for a minute, if you believe that
Beijing is preparing for war and getting better, presumably, at pointing at Taiwan by conducting
these missions, these exercises, in some ways, is Taiwan getting better at defending itself,
at doing the things it would need to do if those exercises actually become the real thing?
JOSEPH WU: Yes, we are getting better.
But, at the same time, we also understand the kinds of gap of
defense capabilities that we have with China. And, therefore, we are assessing
the kinds of situation that we need to be in and trying to prepare ourselves for it.
We understand our own responsibility as a front-line state
guarding against the expansion of authoritarianism.
NICK SCHIFRIN: The U.S. is increasing its arms sales to Taiwan, but it is restricted
by agreements decades-old of what it can sell to Taiwan.
Do you believe the U.S. is giving you enough to defend yourselves?
JOSEPH WU: If you look at the track record of the last few years, the last two or three years,
we have been able to get what we need for Taiwan to be able to defend itself.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Are you satisfied with the commitment that the U.S. has made
to defend Taiwan, or do you prefer a less ambiguous commitment and a more specific
commitment to defend Taiwan if attacked from Beijing?
JOSEPH WU: The full picture is that we are seeing the United States getting more
and more serious about the situation in this part of the world.
You know, beginning from last year, the United States has been patrolling or
going through the Taiwan Strait with its naval vessels once -- at least once a month.
And that is a very strong determination of the United States to show its presence.
And the United States is not only sending a fleet
to the region. The United States is also sending military aircrafts into the region. And I think
the level of engagement between Taiwan and the United States on military terms,
or defensive issues, has been increasing to a level that we haven't seen before.
We need the U.S. support. And the U.S. has shown its support to Taiwan. And I think this is
much better than getting into the debate or of strategic ambiguity or strategic clarity.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Is it possible, do you think, that, instead of preparing for war,
some China experts here tell us that, instead, Beijing simply wants to deter
independence, that they are actually sending a political message more than a military one?
JOSEPH WU: That might be possible that they have that kind of thinking.
But if you look at the situation here in Taiwan, we are by ourselves. We are not administered by
China. We just had repeated and periodical national elections. And we have been said
by the international society as a success story of democracy.
So, Taiwan is by itself. And, therefore, pointing to Taiwan that Taiwan is seeking independence,
it's just like creating a scapegoat and or finding an excuse to attack Taiwan.
What we are really concerned, if China is seeing some domestic difficulties,
they might follow the classic wisdom of an authoritarian regime. They will
find a scapegoat somewhere outside to divert the domestic attention.
And we are very concerned that Taiwan may be
that very convenient scapegoat for China's own failure domestically.
NICK SCHIFRIN: The Biden administration has released new guidelines on meetings
between American and Taiwanese officials.
The administration says it has eased previous restrictions.
Have restrictions actually been eased?
JOSEPH WU: Yes, indeed. The restrictions have been eased.
And we are seeing the kinds of contacts that we haven't seen before.
And it's not only the ease of all the contact restrictions. The Biden administration has also
been sending all kinds of goodwill gestures to Taiwan, like reassuring Taiwan that the
relations have been rock-solid, providing Taiwan with necessary oral support, and also
lining up the like-minded countries, like Japan, Australia and G7 countries and now Korea,
to address the concern about the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
So, all these are being appreciated.
NICK SCHIFRIN: What do you say to critics of that announced change,
that it goes against some of those decades of agreements that the U.S. has had with Beijing,
and, by coming closer to Taiwan, by having those meetings, it could actually increase the chances
of the war with Beijing that we were talking about at the beginning?
JOSEPH WU: There have been some
senior official contacts in between the two sides, except that we kept it very quiet.
And as far as we see it, the Chinese are not increasing its military operations
around Taiwan because of that kind of ease-off of the contact guidelines. On the other hand,
we see the Chinese seem to be preparing for war against Taiwan, based on its own merit.
Whenever it feels that it would send its bombers to fly close to Taiwan to scare
the Taiwanese people, and when we are in a weak point, like the pandemic, we are in,
the Chinese with the sudden increase this disinformation campaign against Taiwan.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, thank you very much.
JOSEPH WU: Thank you, Nick.
I hope I have a chance to welcome you in Taiwan in person.