The US must warn China of the severe consequences of taking military action against Taiwan, former US national security adviser John Bolton said in Taipei yesterday.
Bolton made the remarks while giving the keynote address at the World Taiwanese Congress’ annual meeting.
He added that the US must work closer with Taiwan and allied countries in Asia on national security to counter Chinese aggression, and ensure that Taiwan remains a free and democratic country.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“People thought Ukraine could not fight, they say it’s just part of Russia historically, whereas in fact, Ukrainians have fought with skill, morale and effectiveness,” said Bolton, who also served as US ambassador to the UN.
It would be the same for Taiwan, he said.
“Will Taiwan fight for its independence?” he asked, as people in the audience shouted: “Yes, we will.”
“That is the right answer,” Bolton said, smiling as people applauded in the conference room.
“That’s what China has to understand, that the people here believe in governing themselves, and they are not going to give it up, and it’s important that is communicated to the US. So when commentators said that Taiwanese are using Americans’ support, but they are not really prepared to defend themselves ... that is wrong. If it came to military action, then Taiwan would fight,” he said.
Bolton criticized politicians and commentators in the US and around the world who he said claim Taiwan is being provocative.
China is the aggressor, always threatening Taiwan and other countries in the region, he said.
“Strength is not provocative; weakness is provocative,” Bolton said.
Weakness is what needs to be avoided in Taiwan, he said, urging the US to help Taiwan to bolster its military capabilities.
“We need to do more to convince [Chinese President] Xi Jinping [習近平], that he cannot prevail” and that an attack on Taiwan would have heavy consequences for China, Bolton said.
The US should recognize Taiwan, he added.
When Taiwan was expelled from the UN in 1971, former US president George H.W. Bush was the US ambassador to the UN and he supported dual recognition, so that Taiwan could keep its seat in the UN, but the idea was rejected by Taiwan and China at the time, Bolton said.
“But now dual recognition makes sense from the US perspective, though it could be displeasing to Bejing, but that’s the point [we must make], to show that relations between the US and Taiwan are fixed, and will not go away,” he said.
Even now in the absence of full recognition, richer strategic dialogues between Taiwanese and US officials are needed, not just between diplomats, but also those in the military and intelligence fields, so that the two national security teams can coordinate, Bolton said.
Other allied countries must also be involved in contingency planning, to assess what China might do and how to respond, he said.
“If an attack takes place, then it’s too late,” he said.
If Taiwan pressed for more national security discussions, it would have a greater chance of deterring Chinese aggression or defending itself, he said.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
SOLUTIONS NEEDED: Taiwan must attract about 400,000 to 500,000 skilled foreign workers due to population decline, the minister of economic affairs said in Washington President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration is considering a plan to import labor to deal with an impending shortage of engineers and other highly skilled workers, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said in Washington on Tuesday. Kuo was leading a delegation attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit. Taiwan must attract about 400,000 to 500,000 skilled foreign workers for high-end manufacturing jobs by 2040, he said. Ministry of Economic Affairs officials are still calculating the precise number of workers that are needed, as it works on loosening immigration restrictions and creating incentives, Kuo said. Taiwanese firms operating factories in the US and other countries would