The current process for considering and approving arms sales to Taiwan is not functioning well, the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific heard on Thursday from experts on East Asia.
“Long delays in consulting with and notifying Congress and refusals to accept requests from Taiwan for advanced military equipment suggests a dysfunctional arrangement,” Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) senior adviser Bonnie Glaser said.
The situation was harming Taiwan’s ability to maintain its ongoing force modernization, she told the hearing on the future of US-Taiwan relations.
She said that in recent years the US had been providing mostly second-hand equipment and additional munitions for systems already in Taiwan’s inventory while denying approval of new advanced platforms and weapons systems.
The root of the problem appeared to be worries that US-China relations and Beijing’s willingness to cooperate on other issues would be undermined by the sale of more advanced capabilities, she said.
“It is harmful to American interests to be so eager for Chinese cooperation that it appears willing to sacrifice Taiwan for better US-China ties,” she said.
Glaser said that such an approach sends the wrong signal to Beijing, creates anxiety in Taiwan and fosters doubt throughout the region about the US’ willingness to withstand Chinese pressure.
She urged Congress to invigorate its oversight role and encourage the executive branch to be more ambitious in promoting closer relations.
“Members of Congress should travel more frequently to Taiwan to better understand the evolving political and economic situation,” Glaser said.
“Finally, Congress can encourage the administration to sell Taiwan the weapons necessary for it to deter a PRC [People’s Republic of China] attack and defend itself from PRC aggression,” she said.
Project 2049 Institute president Randall Schriver, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for Asia, told the hearing the US should champion Taiwan’s candidacy for second-round entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.
The US should also sponsor a delegation of investors and business leaders to visit Taiwan to explore investment and business opportunities, he said.
Washington should also approve an early arms package, including modern fighter aircraft and concrete support for diesel electric submarines, and keep the onus on Beijing for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Schriver said.
“Our diplomacy must strenuously reject Chinese attempts to intimidate, coerce and isolate the people of Taiwan,” he said.
Shelley Rigger, a professor of East Asian politics at Davidson College, said there was likely to be some tension in the Strait during president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) term of office — “the inevitable result of the profound difference in goals between Taiwan and mainland China.”
“As long as Beijing insists that Taiwan must accept unification there will be tension because Beijing’s demands run against the will of Taiwan’s people,” she said.
The US should redouble its efforts to keep channels of communication open with Tsai, Rigger said, adding: “US policy precludes Washington from engaging in high-level, official interactions with Taipei, but the US is free to choose a less restrictive interpretation of its policy.”
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers