Japan’s Defense Minister Urges the United States to Stand Firm on Taiwan

Last week, the head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, Minister Chiu Tai-san, warned policymakers in Washington that China is preparing to attack the island and spoke of serious global implications if China is allowed to take control of Taiwan through force. He said Taiwan is willing to engage in talks with China but not as a result of pressure or coercion, nor at the price of upfront concessions. Minister Chiu spoke to the Center for a New American Security, which has uploaded a recording of the speech onto its website

Jacob Stokes, a fellow at the think tank’s Indo-Pacific Security Program, blames the Beijing side for cutting off dialogue with Taiwan. “China is insisting that the government in Taiwan accept what is known as the 1992 consensus, which was a political agreement that mainland China reached with a former KMT government, where they both agreed that there is one China, but it is unclear which side of the Strait has the ultimate ruling authority,” says Mr Stokes.

Read the full story and more from Japan Forward.