Just after assuming office, US Secretary of State John Kerry reaffirmed the US’ commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and also indicated support for Taiwan’s participation in international bodies, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization.
In response to questions from US senators on Washington’s adherence to the act and former US president Ronald Reagan’s “six assurances,” Kerry reiterated that the US would supply Taiwan with weapons to maintain adequate defense capability.
It is good that US commitments have been reiterated by the new secretary of state, but while a number of sales have been initiated over the past few years, little movement has occurred on the all-important sale of F-16C/Ds which has been under discussion for years.
The balance of air power across the Taiwan Strait has been tilting heavily against Taipei: Beijing has been building up its fleet, continuously adding advanced fighters, while on the Taiwanese side the fleet consists of a motley collection of aging fighters, some dating back to the Vietnam War.
The only modernization of the Taiwanese fleet being prepared is that of the existing F-16A/Bs, but to implement this upgrade, a significant number of aircraft have to be taken out of operation, further reducing the operational capabilities of the nation’s air defense. A US decision on the F-16C/Ds is in order.
On the Taiwan side, a firmer commitment to its own defense is needed. US Senator John Cornyn of Texas recently expressed his disappointment that Taiwan’s government has not pushed harder for the sale, saying there was a “puzzling sense of complacency in Taipei.”
Then there are the mixed signals given off by Taipei over the past months about the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), which Taiwan claims sovereignty over, along with Japan, which calls them the Senkakus, and China.
Former US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Randy Schriver hit the nail on the head when he said recently that Taiwan should play a more constructive role in the dispute and “… avoid the appearance of collusion with China,” saying that such a move would “be viewed unfavorably” by the US.
Japan is a key security partner for Taiwan. Taipei should ensure that relations with Tokyo improve instead of following a downward drift, as was the case last year.
In his speech at the Heritage Foundation on Feb. 8, Schriver also pointed out: “Japan is arguably Taiwan’s second-most important security partner. If Taiwan undertakes activities that cause problems with Tokyo, that will cause problems with the United States and that should be avoided.” There are others who argue that Taiwan should do more to help itself.
James Holmes of the Naval War College spoke on the issue at a seminar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on Feb. 26. Holmes said that China’s primary strategy seems to be to deter Washington from intervening on Taiwan’s behalf through an array of anti-access measures, such as its new anti-ship missiles. He added that Taipei should rededicate itself to its defense by helping the US counter these measures.
Holmes added that Taiwan needs to “pivot to its own defense” by raising defense spending to 3 percent of its GDP and by enhancing its defense capabilities in coordination with its allies Japan and the US.
The best guarantee for Taiwan’s existence as a free, democratic nation is its alliance with its democratic friends and allies, not a dalliance with a repressive and undemocratic neighbor.
Nat Bellocchi served as a US deputy assistant secretary of state and US ambassador and is a former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan. The views expressed in this article are his own.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not