Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso warned a Taipei security forum Tuesday that the international community must "wake up" to the worsening situation surrounding the Taiwan Strait, a hotspot waterway separating the democratic island from China.
Taiwan has in recent years been under increased political and military pressure from China, which claims the island as its territory and has vowed to retake it one day.
The past year has been especially charged with Beijing enacting two massive rounds of wargames around the island, simulating a blockade of Taiwan and missile strikes.
The live-fire exercises also affected Taiwan's northeastern neighbour when ballistic missiles were launched near Japan's coastal waters, the 82-year-old ex-premier said.
"The important thing for us now is that there should be no war in the region, including the Taiwan Strait," said Aso, one of the keynote speakers at an annual security forum that gathers defence and maritime experts.
"We need to wake up now. From Taiwan to the United States and other like-minded countries, it's time to demonstrate our will and determination to fight, and our power of deterrence."
As Taiwan's close neighbour, he said that Japan "should be the first to express our attitude and also to make the message clear in the international community, including China".
"Maintaining a free and open international order based on universal values and abiding by the rule of law, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, is a major issue of life and death for Japanese security," said Aso.
Aso, a close ally of late ex-premier Shinzo Abe, remains a political heavyweight within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and is considered one of the "kingmakers" of the conservative bloc.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen told the forum that the Indo-Pacific region's growing influence comes with "frictions" between authoritarian regimes and democracies, creating a "critical juncture".
"Authoritarian regimes become more aggressive and assertive, they are also more convinced that their alternative model is better and more adaptive than democracy," she said, adding that her administration is determined "to prevent authoritarian expansionism".
Tsai -- who is hated by Beijing for her refusal to accept China's claim on the island -- also reiterated that she does not take for granted the support of Taiwan's security partners.
"While we don't seek military confrontation and hope for a peaceful, stable and beneficial coexistence with our neighbours, Taiwan is always ready to defend our democracy and way of life," she said.
© 2023 AFP
12 Comments
Tim Sullivan
Aso was a good PM. He tells it like it is, unlike Kishida, the dithering master of the word salad. Everything he says sounds like it's been put through Google Translate a couple of times.
dagon
OssanAmerica
The world is already aware of the threat that China poses to peace and stability in the region. The only deniers are China (and Russia) supporters, both overt and latent.
itsonlyrocknroll
Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso, past is littered with accusations of being some what gaffe prone
Taro Aso on Japanese Constitutional Reform: Learn from the Nazis
https://thediplomat.com/2013/08/taro-aso-on-japanese-constitutional-reform-learn-from-the-nazis/
So when Taro Aso was chosen for this diplomatically sensitive Taipei security forum, I suggest that raised a few eyebrows as much as set a few nervous foreign office pulses racing.
However Tso is quite correct in pointing out ........
"We need to wake up now. From Taiwan to the United States and other like-minded countries, it's time to demonstrate our will and determination to fight, and our power of deterrence."
As Taiwan's close neighbour, he said that Japan "should be the first to express our attitude and also to make the message clear in the international community, including China".
"Maintaining a free and open international order based on universal values and abiding by the rule of law, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, is a major issue of life and death for Japanese security," said Aso.
yokohamarides
Fascist, from a long line of fascists, says what?
Lindsay
The first sentence of the first comment gave me a good laugh.
Aso was not a good PM. He is just a grumpy and senile old man who would not care if he lead Japan into an international conflict because he would not be around to see the results. Japan desperately needs some young an educated minds in politics instead of all these grumpy old men who gained their position through inheritance. Japan is supposed to be a democracy. Bwahaha!
Peter14
The truth of what he has point out is clear and obvious. Most of the worlds nations support an open, free and rules based world with all nations equal under the rules. China and Russia both pursue a might makes right ideology where those who have the military capacity are apparently within their rights to impose their will on those smaller and unable to defend against them. China and Russia support their own designs on Empire building for themselves and try to separate others from alliances so they can then invade and conquer.
Russia in the middle of its failing attempt to conquer Ukraine has only managed to capture 20% of that nation and its holdings are being slowly whittled away by a determined Ukraine.
China with its stated aim of taking Taiwan against its citizens wishes and subjugating that island nation. China is also in the process of stealing territory from Philippines and others in the region, including Japan's Senkaku's as well as territory from Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and more.
If the free world fails to come together on this issue and show relentless solidarity in standing against the Empire aspirations of China and Russia, then a world wide conflict will follow making the previous two look like a garden party. There can be no appeasement or allowance for any shifting of borders or subjugation of others against their will. It must have a NATO like response that an attack on any is an attack on all, with all responding with the entire military strength at their disposal. Only a threat of that nature can possibly keep the idea of building a new empire from becoming a reality. Nobody wants the CCP ruling their nation or Putin's corruption either. Safety really is in numbers. Being out on your own is a path towards being a viable target for those with deadly intentions.
Chabbawanga
Taro Aso has been stirring the pot since the Tokugawa Period. I heard they are trying to het him enshrined as a UNESCO world heritage site.
falseflagsteve
I don’t like Aso, he’s horrid and very rude a lot of the time. I wish he would go away and stop embarrassing himself.
Peter14
Which is proof positive that Taiwan is independent and not part of CCP's China, and never has been. Taiwan was never defeated, only its forces on the mainland were over run by the Communist rebel forces.
The legitimate rulers of Taiwan are in control of their country and their neighbor China harbors ambitions to invade and subjugate Taiwan and its people, forcing border change against UN law. Such actions should result in permanent expulsion from the UN security council and forfeiture of their veto power in that forum. Same should apply to Russia for its breaches in Ukraine.
Legrande
LOL Yes Aso Taro is on the same wavelength as all the neocons here.
And incidentally his folks (Aso Mining) used slave labor for their enterprises during the war...not only Koreans but also western POWs, so everything he says about needing to keep the peace and work with the Allies is very ironic.