Parallels with Taiwan colour Asian views of the war in Ukraine

FOR THOSE concerned about peace in the Asia-Pacific region, Ukraine is, as one Japanese newspaper commentary puts it, “not a fire on the opposite shore”. Not least, Asia also has a small democracy bang next to a big bully. China has long claimed Taiwan as its own, uses its armed forces to intimidate it and reserves the right to invade.

Japan’s prime minister, Kishida Fumio, recently warned, “If we tolerate the use of force to change the status quo, it will have an impact on Asia as well.” He was implying that the aggression of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, towards Ukraine could embolden his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, regarding Taiwan. China’s commentariat does little to dispel the notion. In response to a G7 call to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the Global Times, a state tabloid, tweeted mockingly, “When China takes action to eradicate [the] secessionist regime in Taiwan, you must also give China unwavering support.”

In reality, far from affirming the wisdom of Mr Xi’s foreign policy, the war in Ukraine exposes its limits. Meanwhile, the differences between Ukraine and Taiwan illuminate more than do the similarities, starting with levels of American support. Most Americans cannot find Ukraine, their...