Taiwan minister: China war would be a disaster regardless of outcome

Taiwan’s Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng speaks in Taipei, Taiwan, on Thursday March 10 2022 (EBC/AP)

A conflict with China, which threatens to invade Taiwan, would be a disaster for all sides regardless of the outcome, the island’s defence minister said.

China has largely backed Russia in invading Ukraine, a conflict that has echoes in Beijing’s approach to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that it claims as Chinese territory to be annexed by force if necessary.