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Joseph Wu has been Taiwan's Foreign Minister since 2018
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VLADIMIR SIMICEK / AFP
In the face of mounting tensions with China, Taiwan has issued clear warnings against further escalation.
A military conflict between the two countries would be "a catastrophe - not only for Taiwan, but also for China and the rest of the world," Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told AFP.
China could try to create an "external crisis" to divert attention from domestic problems.
Economic growth in the People's Republic has slowed, the western sanctions are also having an effect and there are energy bottlenecks, said Wu. "Such situations could create an environment in which an authoritarian leader ponders external measures to divert attention domestically," he said. "The danger is and it is getting bigger," he added.
Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have been increasing for years.
Beijing regards Taiwan, which split from China in 1949, as a breakaway province that should be reunited with the mainland - if necessary with military force.
China's President Xi Jinping recently repeatedly affirmed China's claim to reunification with Taiwan.
In the past few months, incidents in which Chinese fighter jets penetrated the Taiwanese air defense space increased.
Biden pledges aid to Taiwan
In the event of a military conflict, Taiwan can count on US help: the US government has an "obligation" to do so, Joe Biden recently told CNN.
The US is not looking for a conflict with China, but Beijing must understand "that we will not take a step back, that we will not change our positions," said Biden.
Wu was in the Slovak capital Bratislava on Tuesday to attend an event organized by the NGO Globsec.
Beijing protested against the Taiwanese foreign minister's trip to Europe, who is also visiting the Czech Republic.
China firmly rejects the countries concerned working with such "separatists" and supporters of Taiwan's independence.
bam / AFP