Taiwan businessman Tsao accuses China of undermining island nations' sovereignty

Taipei [Taiwan], December 29 (ANI): Robert Tsao, founder of Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), criticised China's United Front tactics, accusing them of undermining Taiwan's sovereignty, Taiwan News reported.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Tsao explained that China's approach to cross-strait relations was not about genuine exchange, but rather aimed at undermining Taiwan's independence through coercive political strategies.
Tsao explained that there is no such thing as a genuine cross-strait exchange under China's United Front operations. According to him, these efforts are a form of political manoeuvring that ignores Taiwan's sovereignty, calling out China for attempting to use its United Front tactics to control and influence Taiwan.
"True exchanges require the CCP to acknowledge Taiwan's sovereignty," Tsao said, emphasising that without this respect, interactions are merely attempts to weaken Taiwan's autonomy. He warned that these tactics are designed to attack Taiwan's sovereignty by disguising them as friendly exchanges.
He further elaborated on China's broader United Front strategy, describing it as a tactic where secondary enemies are used to weaken primary targets. Once the primary target is neutralised, the secondary targets become the next focus of attack, reported Taiwan News.
"Once the primary target is taken down, the secondary targets become the next focus, perpetuating a cycle of conflict," Tsao said. This strategy, Tsao argued, perpetuates instability, as it moves from one target to the next, with Taiwan always in the crosshairs.
Tsao also pointed to China's unilateral amendments to its constitution, which claims Taiwan as part of China. He expressed concern that some Taiwanese are swayed by rhetoric about "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," which diminishes the recognition of Taiwan's sovereignty.
He likened this to a virus attacking the body's immune system, warning that if allowed to spread, it could weaken and ultimately destroy Taiwan's self-governance.
A vocal critic of China's policies, Tsao called for a "No contact, no negotiations, no compromise" stance when dealing with Beijing. His outspoken position has put him at odds with the Chinese government, which imposed sanctions on him in October 2024 for his ties to Kuma Academy. The CCP accused him of attempting to incite separatism and destabilise cross-strait relations, Taiwan News reported.
Tsao had previously pledged substantial financial donations, including NTD 600 million (USD 18.27 million) to train civilians in combat and first aid, as well as NTD 400 million to train 300,000 snipers as a deterrent against a potential Chinese invasion. (ANI)