Fri, May 26, 2023 page1

• US issues report on Taiwan security

  CONTINGENCY PLAN: Taiwan is a cornerstone of the global economy, and it is in the interest of the US to deter Chinese military aggression toward Taiwan, the report says

  • By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
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  The US House of Representatives Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Tuesday made 10 policy recommendations to preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

  The committee unanimously agreed on the proposed “Ten for Taiwan,” the first report passed since the panel was formed in January.

  The proposal follows the committee’s wargame last month, in which “members saw the terrifying result of what happens when deterrence fails,” said US Representative Mike Gallagher, who chairs the committee.

  

  US Representative Mike Gallagher, left, and US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi look at a map during a US House of Representatives Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party in Washington on April 19.

  Photo: REUTERS

  To ensure this scenario remains fictional, the committee voted to adopt the report, “which will surge hard power across the international dateline and strengthen deterrence in the Taiwan Strait,” he added.

  The committee “will continue operating in a bipartisan way to send a message that we are committed to deterrence in the Taiwan Strait,” Gallagher and US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said in a joint statement.

  Taiwan is “a cornerstone of the global economy and a vital partner of the US,” the report said, adding that it is “in the political, security and economic interests” of the US to deter Chinese military aggression toward Taiwan.

  The report called for more long-range missiles and uncrewed vehicles in the Indo-Pacific region, and expedited provision of weapons to Taiwan.

  It also said that resupplying Taiwan would be difficult in the event of a CCP blockade, so Taiwan’s military stockpiles should be expanded, and economic vulnerability reduced.

  The US should have a defined operational command and control structure for contingency response, and should coordinate with its allies on diplomatic and economic plans for a possible Taiwan crisis, it said.

  It called on the US to establish a joint force headquarters or joint task force focused on crisis contingency command and control, as stipulated by the US National Defense Authorization Act.

  Taiwan and the US should improve combined military training to bolster deterrence, as the forces on the two sides “do not currently plan or operate in an integrated manner,” it said.

  The report said that Taiwan faces consistent cyberattacks from China, and Taiwan and the US are vulnerable in the cyberdomain.

  The US should improve cybersecurity at its ports and protect maritime port supply chains, as well as help Taiwan do the same by passing the bipartisan Taiwan cybersecurity resiliency act, it said.

  If China were to invade Taiwan, the world would face an economic crisis, as semiconductor supplies would be devastated, it said.

  “Taiwan is a linchpin of America’s ability to defend its allies, particularly Japan and the Philippines,” it said, adding that a Chinese invasion could cause US allies to doubt its security commitments and give Beijing a favorable geographic position to obstruct the US’ action in the region.

  “The committee’s goal is peace, not provocation,” it said.

  In related news, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) yesterday said that the main reason for the delay in the delivery of F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp is that the company had “corrected and improved” the jet’s flight-control software.

  Bloomberg on Wednesday reported that the US Air Force had cited “complex developmental challenges” as the source of the delay, which the air force’s statement did not elaborate on.

  Taiwan is waiting on delivery of 66 Block 70 F-16 jets.

  While similar to the Block 20 F-16V jets already in operation, the newer Block 70 jets have upgraded aviation electronics and radar systems, which is why the delivery has been delayed, Chiu said.

  However, the US Department of Defense has appointed a high-level project supervisor to ensure that Lockheed would deliver the 66 jets by 2026 as scheduled, he said.

  Asked whether a domestically built submarine would be ready by September, Chiu said the military and contractor were working to launch it as soon as possible, but that safety would be the deciding factor.

  Additional reporting by CNA
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