In an interview with the Tages Anzeiger newspaper, Wu criticised Switzerland’s interpretation of the Chinese ‘One Country’ vision that sees Taiwan as part of China.
“Switzerland has long followed a policy of neutrality, and so I would encourage Switzerland to be a bit more neutral between Taiwan and China, rather than fighting on China’s side,” Wu said.
“Each country has its own policies, and we understand the practical limitations of foreign policy for Taiwan. At the same time, Taiwan is an economically strong, vibrant democracy. We hope that the Swiss government will recognise this and work with Taiwan in a more practical way.”
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‘Taiwan on everyone’s lips is the last thing China wants’
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Swiss observers weigh in on the possibility for closer ties with Taiwan – and the limited options Switzerland has if China were to attack the island.
That would include allowing Wu to travel to Switzerland in his official capacity as Taiwan foreign minister. Wu said this is currently not possible in Switzerland despite a range of other European countries that would welcome him.
Switzerland does not officially recognise Taiwan but maintains relations through intricate channels.
Military build-up
China has become increasingly forceful in its rhetoric towards Taiwan and launched a military exercise near to the island following a visit from United States House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this year.
Wu said there have been more than 3,000 incursions of Taiwanese airspace by Chinese war planes this year, compared to 380 in 2020.
The Alpine nation has taken a harder line in its dealings with China. The Swiss government has been more vocal on human rights and parliament has discussed ways to reduce dependency on Chinese technology.
But Wu believes Switzerland is still not being tough enough with China’s authoritarian regime.
“Taiwan and Switzerland share the same values of freedom and democracy, protection of human rights and the rule of law,” he said. “Therefore, we hope that the Swiss government will support Taiwan when our country is threatened.”
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
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Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
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TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
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The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
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Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
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China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
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A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
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The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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China’s ambassador warns ‘relations will suffer’ if Swiss adopt sanctions
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Chinese-Swiss relations will suffer if Switzerland adopts European Union sanctions against China, says the country’s ambassador in Bern
‘Taiwan on everyone’s lips is the last thing China wants’
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Swiss observers weigh in on the possibility for closer ties with Taiwan – and the limited options Switzerland has if China were to attack the island.
Eyes on China and Russia as Human Rights Council meets
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The session of the UN Human Rights Council starting on September 12 has a packed agenda, but China and Russia will likely focus much attention.
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Swiss President Ueli Maurer’s recent visit to China shows the complexity of Swiss neutrality in the face of current geopolitical realities.
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For many years Switzerland was able to increase its prosperity discreetly under the cover of neutrality. But times are changing.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.