TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former KMT politician Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) claimed that China’s missiles are not aimed at Taiwan and that Beijing’s military power helps protect Taiwanese, SETN reported Friday.
FTV News reported that Chou said China was building up its military not to threaten Taiwan, but to protect it from foreign powers. He singled out Japan and the US, claiming Japan still wanted to colonize Taiwan and the US continued to exploit it.
Speaking about cross-strait military tensions, Chou said Taiwanese should understand that China’s missiles are not aimed at Taiwan. He also said China’s growing military and economic power would become Taiwan’s biggest source of protection.
Liberty Times reported that Chou’s remarks drew attention because China has increased military and political pressure on Taiwan for years. Chinese military aircraft and ships have often operated around Taiwan, while Beijing has also worked to limit Taiwan’s international space.
The comments drew criticism online, with some saying China was the government most actively pressuring Taiwan and others questioning how missiles could be described as protection. Other commenters called the remarks one-sided, while a Facebook page that shared the video urged people not to support the KMT, per NowNews.
Chou is a former Taipei County magistrate and senior KMT figure. Taipei County was the former name of what is now New Taipei before it was renamed in 2010.
