Ripples from Ukraine/Russia gas crisis felt even in Taiwan

By Aussiegirl

Looks like the cautionary tale occasioned by the recent decision by Russia to shut off the gas supplies to Ukraine and Western Europe has been noticed even in Taiwan. Let's not forget that China and Russia are both playing at this game, and both have interests inimical to those of the West.

Taipei Times

Put another way, [Russia] was willing to place its own national interests ahead of geopolitical considerations. Taking this situation to the East-Asian context, we see Taiwan becoming ever more reliant on China.

Taiwan also has some geopolitical importance, as over 85 percent of Japan's crude energy supplies go via the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel, which is controlled by Taiwan. Nevertheless, if Taiwan does not keep a careful eye on economic and trade policies that are heading more and more in the China's direction, especially when we take into account the nationalist tendencies of that country, we may be facing a serious crisis in the foreseeable
future.