Taipei — Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) minister, Chiu Chui-cheng, has accused Beijing of escalating a campaign to erase the Republic of China and coerce Taiwan into reunification, warning that China — not Taipei — is destabilising the Taiwan Strait and altering the regional status quo.
In an interview cited by The Taipei Times, Chiu says Beijing has steadily increased military intimidation and grey-zone tactics while portraying Taiwan as the source of tensions. He argues these actions form part of a long-term strategy to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty and pressure the island to accept Chinese rule.
Chiu highlighted the continuing importance of U.S. support, noting recent statements from U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirming Washington’s commitment to Taiwan and regional stability. He stressed that ongoing U.S. arms sales are essential to preserving deterrence and peace across the strait and pointed to America’s policy of strategic ambiguity as a key factor in deterrence planning.
Noting broader regional responses, Chiu said countries along the First Island Chain are prioritising defence upgrades to counter growing Chinese assertiveness. He reiterated the MAC’s commitment to defending Taiwan as a sovereign, democratic state and to protecting its freedoms while maintaining regional stability. He also cautioned that preserving the current status quo should not be read as advocating formal independence.
Chiu accused Beijing of widening its definition of “Taiwan independence” to target many aspects of Taipei’s governance and international engagement — from defence procurement and diplomatic outreach to countering influence operations. He criticised Taiwan’s opposition, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), arguing that delays in approving defence budgets risk undermining international confidence in Taiwan’s ability to defend itself and could play into China’s united-front efforts.
This account is based on a syndicated report as published by The Taipei Times and circulated via news feeds.
