The US wants Taiwan to be “strong and confident,” a senior Pentagon official said on Monday.
“It should contribute to our regional effort to maintain peace and security,” US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Abraham Denmark said.
Denmark’s keynote speech to the 14th annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, was closed to the press, but the Taipei Times was later given access to the notes of several of those in attendance.
He referred twice to the US commitment to Taiwan’s defense.
“Taiwan needs to have an effective defense capability itself,” he said.
“We do have a ‘one China’ policy, the Three Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA),” Denmark said.
He referred to the earlier arms sales and granting of export licenses to Taiwan by the administration of US President Barack Obama amounting to nearly US$14 billion.
Denmark talked about Washington’s obligations under the TRA and said: “Don’t focus on the sales aspect itself.”
He said that while arms sales were part of the US obligations, “we are constantly engaged to enhance abilities.”
Denmark said that the US wanted Taiwan to have a “credible, visible defense — including non-traditional and asymmetric capabilities.”
He mentioned a number of specific measures the nation could take, including the “hardening” of defense facilities.
It is important for Taiwan to have the right size of defense capability that is “mobile and surviving,” he said.
Denmark added that what mattered most was that the Taiwan military had “the right capabilities and the right training and the right motivation.”
Taiwan’s military needs to emphasize operational readiness and “see the necessity to replace old systems with new ones, and be ready to do so,” he said.
He referred to a recent report to the US Congress which said Taiwan remained the focus of China’s military effort and said it was a “challenge” to the US to enhance the nation’s capabilities.
Denmark said the conference helped the US defense industry to focus on its role to help Taiwan maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
He repeated his earlier point about the necessity of Taiwan’s defense force being “mobile, survivable and difficult to destroy.”
Denmark said that while the US was committed to Taiwan’s defense, it was also essential for Taiwan to be determined to defend itself.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS