On Wednesday, U S ambassador to the U.

N Kelly Kraft traveled to Taiwan, an island which neither the United States nor the United Nations recognized as a country.

In fact, up until a few days back, official U.

S policy restricted interactions between us on Taiwanese diplomats.

Now that's because China has always claimed Taiwan as a part of its territory, and the U.

S, like other U.

N member states, recognizes China, not Taiwan.

But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has overturned the U.

S restrictions, saying they were meant to court appease the Chinese government.

Naturally, the change in U.

S rules and Kelly crafts upcoming visit haven't gone down well in China.

Way advised US Secretary of State Pompeo to have a clear understanding of history to stop manipulating Taiwan related issues, to stop acting against the trend and not to go further down this wrong and dangerous path.

Otherwise, he will be severely punished by history way and earlier I spoke to Taiwan's representative to Germany, sheer G, where and I began by asking him what Taiwan expected from Kelly crafts visit.

We are expecting with great pleasure and honor to welcome visit the official visit.

I would like to support, not the official visit off the ambassador off U.

S aid to the United Nations Madam carry craft.

I think it keeps assigned to the world that just like Pompeo, the state secretary or us, has pointed out in his state, uh, repress, really is that type one shares the value the same value with the U.

S.

A.

We share the democracy.

We're both two democracies.

We share the common values off individual freedom, the rule of law and respect for human dignity.

And because the China, because the influence of China, Taiwan has been treated very, very unfair for the last four or even five thick Big kiss, right?

So I'm sorry to interrupt.

The main question, really, is that Kelly Crafts visit this closeness, if you like between the Trump administration and the government in Taiwan, do you see this carrying over into the new Biden administration, which will be taking over in just a matter of days where people would say that would be the last the parting gift off the Trump government for Taiwan.

But I think it is also.

It is also a part off inheritance for the Trump government, from the Trump government to the Biden government because both Democrats and replicants off the U.

S.

A.

R not worth our friends has Bean have always been the friends off the Taiwan government, so I think it's going to be a very good influence, one off the good influence for Labidi in government.

They would take it all because it goes into the same direction, which Biden what two would would also do for Taiwan because it's in the interest off the U.

S.

A.

Not in the interest off the Trump government.

I would like to say that right now the relations between the US and Taiwan have historically Bean, supported by the so called Taiwan Relations Act and essentially the U.

S, is required by this law to support Taiwan with arms sales so it can defend itself against China.

But there's no legal requirement for the US to actually defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.

Do you think there needs to be a change in this?

The Taiwan Relations Act is to help maintain the security step, stability, the freedom, security and stability in the Western Pacific, not in the Taiwan Strait.

So the importance off Taiwan the strategic importance of Taiwan is not only for Taiwan is also for the U.

S.

A.

For Japan, for South Korea and for all the Asian countries in the South China Sea.

I could even say for Australia, New Zealand and Indian.

So, uh, if should that be should there comes to a conflict the world.

If if China try to invade Taiwan, that would mean not only a war between Taiwan, China but also a word declared from the China to the U.

S.

A.

To Japan Thio in the Pacific.

I would say that so is the question should be put in another way.

If Taiwan is going to be invaded by China, then it means is a Is it work off China against the world off freedom.

So I would say if China would do that, U S a Japan and I would I say even the u U countries, because their interest, their trade interests will be damaged.

Shoot Taiwan be taken over by China stark warning there from She Zhiwei, Taiwan's representative to Germany.

Thank you so much for joining us, Sir.

And Taiwan has lived with that threat of a Chinese invasion for seven decades.

But with China dramatically building up its navy and military in recent years, the threat has risen to new levels.

DW International editor Richard Walker looked at that threat as part of a larger special report February 2020.

Taiwan's Air Force releases this'll image to the media It shows a Taiwanese jet fighter intercepting a Chinese bomber flying near its airspace, a rare glimpse of the dangerous tension in the skies.

So we're defending.

Our skies were defending our waters at every moment.

Uh, in the last few decades is constant.

Pressuring from the Chinese side is like a stress test on multiple levels.

It's partly aimed at demoralizing the Taiwanese public, but it's also simply wearing down Taiwan's planes every time Taiwan has to scramble a fighter jet that not only weakens thing airframe because every fighter jet that that's made has a limited number of hours that it can fly, and it also takes the pilots away from other activities that would improve their readiness and perhaps most importantly, all of this probing generates hugely valuable insights for the Chinese military.

James Fennell, who led US naval intelligence in the Pacific, explains.

You have to know your adversaries, defensive structure and its network.

It's air defense radar system.

Where the weaknesses Where the strength?

How long does it take a fighter F 16 fighter in Taiwan to get off the ground to respond to a J.

H seven coming from this air base?

Their mapping, all of that out in the cyber realm to China continues to probe and chip away.

This unassuming building in Shanghai reportedly houses the military hacking unit 61398 that Taiwan suspects of launching many attacks.

They're constantly hitting Taiwan with cyber attacks with disinformation, misinformation, attacks on, of course, espionage.

And with its open society, Taiwan is highly vulnerable to disinformation campaigns, and for those of us, watching from the outside way owe it to the people of the region to sit up and pay attention to a flashpoint that could blow up into a devastating conflict.

That special report, of course, from DW International editor Richard Walker, who joins me now on the line, Richard good to have you.

Is Taiwan in immediate danger?

We'll be right, Aziz.

We just saw in that clip.

Then we heard from the representative here in Germany.

Taiwan is under pretty much constant threat, almost under constant attack, whether it be cyber attack or other activities that are in this kind of gray zone, so kind of hostile acts that are below the level of of outright military action.

Now China says that it prefers to seek unification, its stated goal by peaceful means on, But it would like to implement a one country, two systems approach in Taiwan of the kind that we've seen in Hong Kong.

But of course, if you're sitting in Taiwan over the last couple of years of watching what's been happening in Hong Kong, that doesn't look all that appealing.

Right now.

One country, two systems essentially collapsed under the weight of its own career contradictions, and China is rounding up all sorts of democratic activists and putting them in jail.

So if China is seeking to unite with Taiwan by persuasion, is going about it in a pretty funny way.

So that leaves the question well, what kind of military options might be looking at, and that is very important to stress here that the Chinese do reserve the right they say, to use force to unite Taiwan with China.

So in the course of this film, we look at three different scenarios, one kind of continuing at this chipping away that we've just seen there one where the mountain attack on an outlying territory, you know, in the way that we saw Russia do with Crimea and then finally ah, full scale invasion.

The most dangerous scenario.

What is the role you see the United States playing in the event off such an attack by China?

Well, it's interesting because as we just heard from the representative there and as you pointed out in your introduction there be rush.

The United States is not fully committed to defending Taiwan in the event that there is an invasion.

It is committed to providing Taiwan with weapons, and it is also committed to provide maintain the capability to defend Taiwan but not actually promising to defend it.

So there's a debate going on about that about whether that is too mushy.

Whether the U.

S.

Needs to make a car Stein commitment with supporters of that were saying that that would stabilize the situation.

That would create a clarity, strategic clarity and this in this flashpoint area.

But others say no.

This would be too provocative towards China.

Andi also runs the risk of a Taiwanese government behaving irresponsibly, just knowing that it has that American support.

I think one thing to point out is that everyone agrees that Taiwan is particularly vulnerable when the United States is weak or distracted.

If you look at what's going on in the United States at the moment, uh, if you can imagine whether it would be any in any position politically to step in in favor of Taiwan at the moment, that's a big question.

So Taiwan is very much on edge of the moment, just about 30 seconds left.

Richard.

What does this mean for the incoming Biden administration and its relations with Taiwan?

Well, the Biden administration, we know is gonna want to stabilize the United States on stabilize the situation internationally, too, so it's not gonna want to rock the boat massively.

But there's an early test that we all need to be watching out for.

Joe Biden says that he wants to call a summit of democracies partly as a way of kind of generating unity in the face of Chinese authoritarianism.

Does he invite Taiwan to that, or does he not?

That is a big dilemma for the incoming administration.

Richard Walker, Thank you so much.