Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses for taking the time to shed light on the current situation and relations between Canada and Taiwan.
Special thanks to Mr. Reeves for joining us at this late hour. I am closely following the Beijing winter Olympics, so I understand that the time change really takes its toll over time, as the Olympics progress. In any case, thank you for joining us.
I must admit that I was also surprised by the answers that witnesses gave to questions from the honourable member Michael Chong on the Taiwan Strait and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans‑Pacific Partnership. That said, I certainly will not criticize them because our desire is to have open and frank discussions, rather than hearing rehashed official lines. Therefore, I thank them very much for that.
The President of Taiwan has established a working group under the National Security Council to closely monitor the evolving situation between Russia and Ukraine, and to determine its potential impact on Taiwan.
We addressed this issue last week in a meeting on the situation between Russian and Ukraine. Professor Anessa Kimball, from Université Laval, told us that most of the west's attention was focused on Ukraine and that very little attention was being given to Taiwan. Furthermore, quite surprisingly, at a town hall on October 21, President Biden was asked directly whether the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of a possible attack by the PRC. He responded that the United States was committed to doing so. However, we know that the United States has already said that it would not intervene if Ukraine were invaded.
Was Professor Kimball misinformed when she told us that the west is more concerned about the situation in Ukraine?
My second question is somewhat tied to President Biden's response. If Taiwan were invaded, would Canada be willing to take military action?