Taiwan defense minister says island must defend itself

TAIPEI – Taiwan's defence curate said Thursday that Taiwan indispensable beryllium prepared to support itself and could not wholly beryllium connected different countries to assistance if China were to motorboat an onslaught against the island, adjacent arsenic Taiwan's president said she had religion the U.S. would support it.

“The state indispensable trust connected itself, and if immoderate friends oregon different groups tin assistance us, past it's similar I said before, we're blessed to person it, but we tin not wholly beryllium connected it," the minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng, told reporters aft being questioned successful the legislature arsenic portion of a league connected nationalist defense.

Tensions betwixt Taiwan and China person risen to their highest level successful decades, with China sending record-breaking numbers of combatant jets toward planetary airspace adjacent to the island, stepping up a run of subject harassment. Taiwan's defence ministry has said that China would person “comprehensive” capabilities to invade the land by 2025.

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China claims Taiwan arsenic portion of its nationalist territory though the land has been self-ruled since it divided from the communist-ruled mainland successful 1949 aft a agelong civilian war.

Chiu has called the rising tensions betwixt China and Taiwan the astir “severe” helium has seen successful 40 years.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said successful an interrogation with CNN that aired Thursday that she had religion the U.S. would support Taiwan if China made a determination against the island.

“I bash person religion fixed the agelong word narration we person with the U.S. and besides the enactment of the radical of the U.S. arsenic good arsenic Congress,” Tsai said.

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