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Will China invade Taiwan next? World fears Putin's invasion of Ukraine may set precedent

Amid the Russia-Ukraine tensions, President Tsai Ing-wen warned that Taiwan must increase its surveillance on military activities in the region

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a military operation in Ukraine in an attempt to defend separatists in the east of the country. "I have made the decision of a military operation to protect the people of the Donbas separatist region," he said in a television statement. The President urged Ukrainian soldiers to lay their arms down and head home.

Amid the crisis in Ukraine, Taiwan seems to be nervous that Beijing may take advantage of a distracted West to put pressure on the island now. President Tsai Ing-wen warned on Wednesday, February 23, that Taiwan must increase its surveillance on military activities in the region. Not mentioning China directly, she said that foreign misinformation must be tackled.

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Taiwan's government has maintained that Ukraine's situation and that of the island are “fundamentally different". In two foreign media interviews this month, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that they were keeping a close eye to see if China decides to take advantage of the Ukraine crisis in order to attack. “China may think about using military action against Taiwan at any moment, and we need to be prepared for that,” he told Britain’s ITV News. However, a senior Taiwan official told Reuters that the chaces of such military tentions are “not high" at the moment, but that Taipei has been alert in case there are any unusual Chinese activities.

Coming back to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Putin announced the military operation on Thursday, February 24, with explosions heard across the country soon after. Ukraine's ambassador at the United Nations has told the Security Council that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “declared war on Ukraine".

Soon after the announcement, explosions were heard in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, as well as across other cities. There were reportedly air raid sirens in the center of Kyiv. Although the severity of Thursday's attacks were not immediately clear, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the worst-case scenario has unfolded. "Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes," Kuleba tweeted. "This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now."

In a separate tweet, he wrote, "To Ukrainians around the globe: Putin attacked, but no one is running away. Army, diplomats, everyone is working. Ukraine fights. Ukraine will defend itself. Ukraine will win. Share the truth about Putin’s invasion in your countries and call on governments to act immediately.

President Joe Biden, in a series of tweets, condemned Russia's move. "The prayers of the world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering," he tweeted. "Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable," he wrote in another tweet. 

Putin's move came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Russians not to support a "major war in Europe". He also said that people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine, adding that when he tried to contact Putin, there was "no answer, only silence". He confirmed on Wednesday, February 23, that Moscow had around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine's borders.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the US, said that a Russian invasion will have the power to displace as many as five million people, which could lead to a new European refugee crisis. Ukraine urged all its citizens living in Russia to leave before Putin's announcement came. "We are united in believing that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our home, in Ukraine," President Zelensky said during a joint media appearance with the visiting leaders of Poland and Lithuania. While Ukraine has around 2,00,000 military personnel, Moscow's total forces are much larger.