European nations are selling dual-use military technology to China that may soon be used against Taiwan, a US congressional subcommittee has been told.
“All Chinese nonnuclear submarines and new combatant ships use European design naval engines, largely German-designed engines,” said Rick Fisher, senior fellow for Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
A similar situation exists with some helicopters, and the Chinese shipbuilding industry has bought state-of-the-art 3D ship design software, made in Spain, that is already helping Beijing “develop better combat ships.”
Fisher told a special hearing of the Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the sales were allowing China to expand its military more quickly than it would otherwise be able to do.
Fisher said China was building its military “tremendously” to wage war against Taiwan and to conquer the nation “perhaps early in the next decade.”
Such an attack could possibly engage US forces and reduce the US’ ability to aid Europe against threats “that are growing against them as well.”
Asked about mounting Chinese aggression towards Japan and in the South China Sea, Fisher said that if the US did nothing to counter the aggression, there was a danger that allies could be defeated in skirmishes.
“If our allies are undermined, if they lose confidence in their alliances with the United States, they have alternatives,” Fisher said. “In my opinion they will develop their own nuclear missiles.”
Fisher said that Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia could all go nuclear “rather quickly.”
If that happens, the prospect of a skirmish escalating into a nuclear exchange with the US being drawn into a war is “real,” he said.
Fisher said that Washington had to support its friends and allies.
“We have to be very clear to the Chinese about what we consider unacceptable behavior,” he said.
“We have to make clear that we are there to back up our alliances, that we are there to support our long-standing friendship with Taiwan by selling them the systems they need to deter war,” Fisher said. “If we fail to do this, we are inviting conflict.”
Chairman of the subcommittee Republican Dana Rohrabacher said the hearing had been called to examine China’s “external posture” toward the states around it.
He said that Beijing had menaced, threatened and attempted to absorb Taiwan and had clashed “with virtually every bordering state.”
Director of the Population Research Institute Steven Mosher said that he was less worried about China’s capabilities than its intentions.
“I am concerned that China, which lacks transparency in terms of its military budget and in stating its intentions, is only emboldened by our careful and measured and nuanced, and oftentimes too quiet, responses to acts of aggression,” he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS