Military help for Ukraine 'too sensitive', but rep office a goal, Taiwan envoy says

By Sarah Marsh

Taiwan is not involved in military assistance for Ukraine as it is "too sensitive" but would like to establish a representative office in the country, Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu said.

Taiwan has offered strong moral support to Ukraine since Russia's invasion two years ago, seeing parallels with the threat Taipei says it faces from its neighbour China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory, a claim Taiwan's government rejects.

Taiwan has provided millions in dollars of humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees and joined in Western-led sanctions on Russia. While senior Taiwan officials have spoken directly with some city mayors, there has been no acknowledged direct contact between the two governments.

Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday during a visit to Berlin, Wu, who until August was Taiwan's high-profile de facto ambassador in Paris, said Taiwan's goal was to win as many friends as possible.

"Ukraine, even while receiving Taiwan's support and sensing hostility from China - since China collaborates with Russia, which continues its war against Ukraine - is very careful about its relationship with Taiwan," he said.

"There is a fear within Ukraine that angering China could lead to closer China-Russia collaboration, intensifying military pressure."

Last year, China, which has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, put forward a 12-point paper that set out general principles for ending the war, but did not get into specifics. China did not attend a Swiss peace conference on the war earlier this year.

Wu said Taiwan is focusing on developing relationships with Ukraine through its neighbours and providing humanitarian aid.

"However, military assistance is still too sensitive, so I don't think we're working on security equipment with Ukraine just yet."

Taiwan's defence minister said last week it was up to the United States to decide what to do with Taiwan's decommissioned HAWK anti-aircraft missiles, when asked if they would be transferred to Ukraine.

In Europe, Taiwan only maintains formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican. But it has de facto embassies in many European countries, including Russia, though not in Ukraine. There is no Ukraine representative office in Taipei either.

China regularly denounces any kind of interaction between Taiwan and other countries, and in 2021 Lithuania infuriated Beijing by allowing Taiwan to open a representative office in its capital Vilnius.

"We are also doing our utmost to develop relations with Ukraine. But for now, we haven't gone as far as establishing a representative office. Perhaps in the future - it's certainly Taiwan's wish - but for now, I don't think we are there yet," Wu said.