Has the Russian invasion of Ukraine given China any ideas about Taiwan? From Tyler Durden at zerohedge.com:
Update(11:28am): The influential former editor and current commentator for China’s state-run English daily Global Times issued a shocking comment hours into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Hu Xijin weighed in on Thursday’s PLA fighter jet breach of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone by saying “Get used to it. There may be more PLA aircraft fly[ing] there tomorrow.”
While the prominent state-linked English language pundit is known for trolling the West and denouncing Washington policy in Taiwan and the South China Sea broadly, he also typically echoes the thinking of top CCP officials in Beijing.
Did he just warn the West that China is about to move on Taiwan – at a “perfect storm” moment that all eyes are on the war in Ukraine? Did Putin just set the example for near-term Chinese military action?
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Taiwan was quick to issue official statement vehemently condemning Russia’s early morning launch of war on Ukraine. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou denounced the attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty, at a tense moment that Beijing continues to eye Taiwan as its own territory.
“Ukrainian cities like Kyiv has been attacked by gunfire, leading to fears of a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine,” she said. “We call on all sides to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose the use of violence or coercion to change the status quo.”
At the same time China’s initial reaction noticeably failed to condemn the invasion, with the Chinese foreign ministry calling for all sides to “exercise restraint” – while ultimately castigating the United States for “fueling fire” in the build-up of tensions.
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