What Will China Do ? Taiwan Foreign Minister: China wants to

INTERNATIONAL     |  TAIPEI   -  Taiwan's foreign minister on Saturday (21/8) accused China of wanting to "copy" the Taliban, saying the island that Beijing claims is sovereign territory of China.

The fall of the US-backed Afghan government has sparked debate in Taiwan about whether it could suffer the same fate as the Chinese invasion, while state media in China say the fate of Kabul shows Taiwan cannot trust Washington.

"China dreams of imitating the Taliban, but let me be frank: We have the will and the means to defend ourselves," Wu said.

Previously, the US State Department wrote on Twitter to call on China to stop pressuring the island of Taiwan. Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu expressed his gratitude to the US for upholding the wishes and interests of the Taiwanese people.

There was no response from China to the Taiwan Foreign Minister's statement.

China has developed ties with the Taliban even though Beijing has its own concerns about Islamic extremists operating in China's Xinjiang.

Afghanistan is the latest issue debated by Taiwan and China. Taiwan has complained of increased Chinese diplomatic and military pressure in recent months. Increased pressure on Taiwan has also sparked concern in Washington.

Taiwan is a democracy that is reluctant to be ruled by autocratic China. Meanwhile Beijing is also angered by US support for Taiwan even in the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei.