China assesses the war in Ukraine through the prism of Taiwan

The war in Ukraine is not just a regional armed conflict, but a conflict between two value systems - democracy and authoritarianism. The biggest threats to the free world today are Russia and China.

This was stated by Czech President Petr Pavel on Monday during his participation in the NATO Youth Summit, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Pavel emphasized that the confrontation between the democratic and authoritarian ways of world development continues in Ukraine.

"We must feel threatened by this confrontation because the outcome of the war in Ukraine will determine what our world will look like in the future," the Czech president said.

He noted that the Western world should not allow Russia to win in Ukraine, as this would be contrary to the interests of the West, which wants to live in a world where values are important and international law is in force.

In Pavel's opinion, the biggest threats to the free world are "firstly, Russia, secondly, China, and thirdly, international terrorism".

Speaking about China, he noted that Beijing plays a "strange" role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. According to the Czech leader, China perceives the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Western world's reaction to it as a database of information about what the world's reaction to its war against Taiwan could potentially be.

"China uses this as an open textbook, learning from it how the West does, how we react to different situations on the battlefield, how quickly we get together and make joint decisions, and how effectively we support Ukraine. China is interested in all of this in terms of a military solution to the Taiwan problem," the Czech leader emphasized.

According to him, the West should support the democratic government of Taiwan, as the latter's seizure by China could lead to shocks, including from an economic point of view. Pavel drew attention to the fact that Taiwan produces 50% of the world's semiconductors, and a conflict in the South China Sea would have a huge impact on global trade.

Pawel also noted that the role of Central Europe in EU decision-making has recently increased significantly. In his opinion, this was due, in particular, to the strong support of Ukraine by the countries of the region and their willingness to assume greater responsibility in the European arena.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 06/06/2023