The US might propose military cooperation with Taiwan, a military official said, citing US Vice President Mike Pence’s harsh criticism of China.
In remarks delivered on Thursday at the Hudson Institute on US policy regarding China, Pence criticized Beijing, saying it is threatening stability across the Taiwan Strait and is using economic aggression to extend its global reach.
The official, who declined to be named, said that Pence’s criticism of China was an assurance to US allies in the Western Pacific that Washington would continue to maintain security in the region.
Photo: AP
It is likely that concrete and substantial US action would follow, the official said.
The action is likely to take the form of military exchanges, probably on an unprecedented scale, “exceeding Taiwan’s expectations,” the official said.
US President Donald Trump on Aug. 13 signed the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which contains provisions favorable to Taiwan’s defense.
The legislation says that the US should bolster defense and security cooperation with Taiwan; support the nation’s acquisition of defensive weapons through foreign military sales, direct commercial sales and industrial cooperation; and improve the predictability of arms sales to Taiwan by ensuring timely review of and response to requests for defense articles and services.
The legislation also suggests that the US secretary of defense send a hospital ship to Taiwan as part of the annual Pacific Partnership mission to improve disaster response planning and preparedness.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Sept. 24 said that the US Department of State had approved a proposal to sell US$330 million in arms to Taiwan to upgrade the nation’s defense capabilities.
The sale is to cover standard spare parts, as well as the repair or replacement of spare parts for Republic of China Air Force aircraft, such as its General Dynamics F-16s, Lockheed C-130s, Northrop F-5s, and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (漢翔航空工業) Indigenous Defense Fighters.
The military official cited CNN reports as saying that the US plans a show of force next month in areas near Chinese-claimed territory in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
If true, such a move would be in line with the intent of Pence’s speech, the official said.
The plans would not only serve as a warning to Beijing, but also as a message that Chinese efforts to prevent the US from aiding its allies in the Western Pacific are doomed to fail, the official said, quoting Pence.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS