Taiwan's Apple Daily (March 17) claimed that a report by human rights activist Vladimir
Osechkin, head of the Russian anti-corruption website Gulagu.net, purportedly written by an
analyst with the Russian Federal Security Service, mentions that Xi Jinping had considered
a "complete take over Taiwan" in 2022 before the Fall. The object was to "recover Taiwan" for
his re-election as the President of the country before the 20th National Congress of the
Communist Party of China (in the Autumn). However, after seeing Russia's aggression against
Ukraine, Xi Jinping believes that the opportunity to attack Taiwan is no longer available, and
that the United States can use it to threaten China and give Xi's political opponents favourable
conditions. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in an interview on March 16, "No matter
when China attacks, we must be ready at any time."
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