TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Foreign Minister Joesph Wu (吳釗燮) said there is no sign that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is imminent, but some in Taiwan are concerned war in the Middle East may cause the U.S. to lose focus on Indo-Pacific issues.

In an interview published by the Australian Financial Review on Thursday (Oct. 26), Wu said despite no immediate threat of invasion, some in Taiwan are worried war in the Middle East would divert U.S. attention and resources. “Just as when Russia launched a war against Ukraine,” he said.

“We are concerned the United States will be drawn into those complex situations, and then its attention to the Indo-Pacific and China’s expansionism into this part of the world will not be enough,” Wu said.

However, in the same interview, Wu said U.S. President Joe Biden’s US$100 billion (NT$3.248 trillion) military aid package for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and the U.S.-Mexican border showed that it was still committed. “The U.S. support is not distracted by war in the Middle East. They are still clear-eyed and still very focused on what China may do these days," Wu said.

Wu also said Taiwan does not expect Australia to involve itself militarily in a potential future conflict between Taiwan and China, but would rather it use economic measures in response. “There might be something Australia can think of to render some cost on China for example, economic coercion, economic sanctions against China, or working together with other like-minded countries to prevent things from getting worse,” he said.