Taiwan’s Deputy FM Warns Europe of Global Impact in Case of China Conflict]

Taiwan’s Deputy FM Warns Europe of Global Impact in Case of China Conflict]

Taiwan may seem geographically distant to European nations, but a Chinese invasion of the island would trigger worldwide repercussions, according to Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister François Chih-chung Wu in remarks to Euronews Next.

“If China attacks Taiwan, France, Europe, the United States, and Japan will all be affected. Taiwan will be in a terrible situation — but so will you,” Wu cautioned.

The deputy minister rejected China’s territorial claims over Taiwan, a stance maintained since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Beijing has never abandoned its threat of military action to bring the self-governing island under its control and does not recognize it as a sovereign state, insisting on the “One China” framework that treats Taiwan as part of China.

Taiwan officially operates under the name Republic of China — a designation dating to the government that retreated to the island after losing the civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communist forces.

Wu emphasized that Taiwan’s history is multifaceted, having been ruled by the Dutch, Spanish, Qing Empire, and Japan at various points. While the Qing dynasty administered part of the island for over a century, only between 1885 and 1894 did China give it significant strategic attention, establishing it as a province — a brief period of focus that Wu argued undermines contemporary Chinese sovereignty claims.

“China was not the only country there,” he noted.

The island has since emerged as a global tech leader. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) alone produces over 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips — critical components for artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, smartphones, and military systems.

“About 70% of all semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan, as well as 95% of the most advanced chips and 100% of chips destined for artificial intelligence,” Wu stated. “In one square centimetre of semiconductor, the size of a fingertip, it’s very small. In there, the Taiwanese are able to fit more than 10 billion transistors. That is our know-how. We have the will to share it with democratic countries, even for the good of humanity.”

Wu highlighted that over 60,000 containers transit the Taiwan Strait daily — triple the volume crossing the Panama and Suez Canals combined. “You can imagine, if China attacks Taiwan or imposes a blockade, how the interests of the world will be damaged,” he warned.

The stability of the Taiwan Strait region constitutes a “global responsibility,” Wu said, though he affirmed Taiwan is “not naive.”

“Why would France protect the Taiwanese? We have never been a French country; why should France do that? But France has very important interests in the region, and France is an Indo-Pacific country,” he explained, extending the same logic to other European nations.

Europe also maintains strong ties to Taiwan. Key semiconductor equipment and materials originate from across the continent: photolithography machines from the Netherlands, precision optics from Germany’s Zeiss, industrial gases from France’s Air Liquide, and chip design tools from Belgium’s IMEC in Leuven.

“All of Europe is inside that one square centimetre of silicon,” Wu observed.

Recent partnerships underscore deepening ties, including Foxconn’s collaboration with France’s Thales on semiconductors and space data centers.

As Taiwan grows more strategically attractive, Wu argues China’s resolve to act intensifies. “China senses it is losing Taiwan — so it is trying every available means to take it,” he said. “In the Chinese mindset, once Chinese, always Chinese. That is a huge problem.”

The island’s economy has thrived amid tensions, surpassing Germany and France in market capitalization according to Bloomberg data.

“Fear, in a way, is not a bad thing,” Wu reflected. “Because we are afraid, we prepare. Taiwan has been threatened by China for 70 years, and we have still achieved democracy and become prosperous.”

Regarding the May summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Wu said American policy toward Taiwan remained unchanged, noting that the U.S. House Speaker reaffirmed support for the island immediately afterward.

Despite the U.S. being Taiwan’s primary ally, European support remains vital. “I believe Europeans are beginning to realise that we cannot let China choose our friends,” Wu said.

“Europe naturally has the right to choose its friends, and choosing friends does not necessarily mean formal diplomatic relations.”

Building ties proves challenging due to Chinese opposition. “A country as important as Taiwan should normally have the opportunity to discuss all important issues with you in a normal way, but we cannot do that, so naturally it is difficult,” Wu admitted.

However, he sees progress: “Looking once again at the results, there are more and more opportunities for Taiwan and Europe to discuss things on a low profile. This is also thanks to human ingenuity — we can imagine all kinds of formulas to try to work together.”

Taiwan does not seek independence and differs fundamentally from Hong Kong, Wu emphasized, noting it maintains its own military and foreign policy.

“We are forced to maintain a very difficult balance: defending our democracy and our way of life on one side, not provoking China too far on the other, and navigating a world that, even in trying to be neutral, ends up being neutral in China’s favour.”

Wu stressed that Europe need not go to war for Taiwan; mutual friendship suffices.

“When you get married, you do not ask your spouse whether they are prepared to die for you. You build a relationship. You work together. And a natural force grows from that,” he said.

“There is a Taiwanese story being written right now and I believe very much in Taiwanese resilience.”

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