A few days ago at the Legislative Yuan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) confirmed that Taipei and Washington have been discussing whether to include Taiwan in the US nuclear umbrella.
However, the proposal cannot yet be openly discussed, Wu said.
Declassified documents from the US Department of State show that as early as the 1970s, Taiwan had already asked to be included in the US’ nuclear strategy. Washington declined the request.
Today, although the context has drastically changed in favor of Taipei, many details need to be deliberated beforehand.
No longer under Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) family’s authoritarian rule, Taiwan is a democratic country. Nothing should be solely decided by the government. If a nuclear pact with the US is to be signed, Taiwanese should be informed in advance, and no agreement should be made without their consent.
US POWER
The strategy of the US nuclear umbrella can be modified according to the needs of each US ally.
The fundamental principle is that the US — a country with nuclear weapons — guarantees the safety of countries without nuclear weapons. If the latter is under nuclear attack, the US would retaliate against the aggressor with nuclear weapons.
If Taiwan joins the US nuclear umbrella, the areas to be incorporated must first be clarified. Would it only include Taiwan proper? Should the pact apply to all Taiwan-controlled islands, including Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), Kinmen and Matsu?
If Itu Aba Island is to be included, other countries concerned with disputed territories in the South China Sea would take heed.
With South Korea and Japan as precedents, Taiwan’s inclusion in the US nuclear umbrella would require Taipei to relinquish the development of its own nuclear weapons program, and act according to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
Washington tries to have authority over its allies under its nuclear umbrella, so that it does not have to wage a nuclear war. As a result, Washington would seek to control Taiwan’s armed forces in a more substantive way.
The deployment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces is based on the Japanese Constitution and its laws, but more importantly, it has to accord with the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.
Similarly, South Korea’s military has been trying to retain operational control authority in wartime from the South Korean-US combined forces, of which a US general is the commander and a South Korean general is the deputy commander.
Nevertheless, it is meaningful that the US has initiated the discussion and let Wu reveal a few words about its nuclear umbrella strategy.
SECURITY
Washington wants to demonstrate its support for Taiwan’s security. It also indicates that the US is aware of its involvement in the cross-strait region and has acknowledged its military intervention.
It therefore wants to add Taiwan to its nuclear umbrella first, so that if US troops are deployed in the Taiwan Strait, they would not be attacked by nuclear weapons.
It might look like the US nuclear umbrella would intensify regional conflict, but judging from the cases of Japan, NATO and South Korea, the US strategy would lay the foundation for long-lasting peace.
Huang Wei-ping is a former think tank researcher and a Kaohsiung resident.
Translated by Emma Liu
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