"Both India And Taiwan Threatened By Authoritarianism": Taiwanese Envoy

India and Taiwan are threatened by "Authoritarianism" and it is high time for both sides to engage in "Strategic collaboration", Taipei's de-facto Ambassador Baushuan Ger said on Sunday while referring to China's aggressive behaviour in the region. In an interview to PTI, Mr Ger said Taiwan and India need to join hands to "Fend off" the "Expansion of autocracy" as he cited actions in the East and the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Galwan Valley to highlight reasons for tensions in the region. China considers Taiwan as its breakaway province and reacted angrily to Pelosi's tour of Taiwan. Mr Ger said Taiwan appreciated India for standing up for justice, peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in the wake of China's military offensive in response to Pelosi's trip. "We appreciate that India has stood up for justice, peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Now some were misguided in thinking that by inviting Speaker Pelosi, Taiwan and the US were the 'provocateurs', intending to change the status quo," Mr Ger said. India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but both sides have trade and people-to-people relations. "Last month alone, over 300 sorties were flown over the median line, a dramatic increase from preceding years while a long-standing tacit agreement existed between Taiwan and China on the Taiwan Strait median line," Mr Ger said.