«Taiwan wants to develop cooperation and sees potential in Ukraine» — expert on foreign policy and international relations

In the Indo-Pacific region, Ukraine should cooperate with Taiwan rather than rely on China’s assistance. The latter is openly in favor with Russia, while Taiwan can develop cooperation with Ukraine at various levels, including in the field of high technology.

This was stated by Hanna Hopko, Chair of the Board of ANTS, and an expert on foreign policy and international relations, on Hromadske Radio.

The speaker attended the inauguration of Taiwan’s new president, Lai Tsing-jeou, on May 20. The newly elected leader said that his country wants to become an Asian «hub» for the provision of components for UAVs. There are also plans to develop the space industry, artificial intelligence, new generation communications, and the military sector. In other words, Ukraine has many opportunities for cooperation with Taiwan.

«They want to develop cooperation; they see great potential in Ukraine. They want to learn from our experience in countering the enemy, building our resilience and territorial defense, and countering Russian propaganda.

Therefore, if we say that in the future Ukraine sees itself as a member of the EU and NATO, as well as part of the high-tech club of those countries that have the latest technologies, then obviously we need to cooperate with Taiwan», — says Hopko.

The international relations expert also notes that although we buy many components from China, we also cooperate with Taiwan through European countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. In particular, we buy various Taiwanese chips, which, although more expensive, are of higher quality than Chinese ones.

We need to increase this cooperation with Taiwan strategically because it is close to us in terms of values and supports us in the war against Russia. At the same time, China is part of the «club of authoritarian regimes» and poses a threat to Taiwan.

«Taiwan is the voice of advocacy for Ukrainian interests among our strategic partners. And we cannot separate Ukraine and Taiwan. Because while in the European theater, Russia is at the forefront and is the aggressor state, in the Indo-Pacific theater, it is China. It is trying to enrich itself with resources, build up its nuclear potential, missile weapons programs, and the production of hypersonic and other weapons. That is why it is important to unite partners from the Indo-Pacific region – Japan, South Korea, Australia – who also help Ukraine», — Hopko concludes.

More on deterring China’s aggression against Taiwan

As a reminder, in April, the House of Representatives voted in favor of an $8.1 billion aid bill for Taiwan. This is, in fact, an attempt to deter China from aggression against Taipei and to strengthen the stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

Of this package, $2 billion is allocated for a foreign military financing program for Taiwan and other allied countries. $1.9 billion is for arms supplies and services to Taiwan and other regional partners of the United States. The rest of the funds are aimed at strengthening the US military presence in the region, including $3.3 billion for the construction of submarine infrastructure, $542 million to strengthen US military capabilities in the region, and $133 million to increase the production and development of artillery and ammunition.

The bill was signed by US President Joe Biden on April 24.