Describing China as the “largest fascist dictatorship” in the world, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart urged his country to expedite arms deliveries to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense, Voice of America (VOA) reported on Sunday.
In an interview with VOA on Wednesday last week, the cochair of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus warned against “the largest ... and the wealthiest fascist dictatorship on the planet.”
Faced with an adversary such as China, the US should utilize “
Photo: screen grab from Voice of America’s X account
every diplomatic and economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is: a growing threat to the United States and to the world… So there's a growing concern in the world about this aggressive attitude of China. But we need to take real steps to confront that in a way to avoid war,” he said.
He called on the US and other countries, which are equally concerned about China’s “aggressive attitude,” to take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war.
It is the US’ focus to “doing something stupid, to avoid China being irresponsible in trying to intervene militarily with Taiwan” and to deter its use of military force against Taiwan, he said.
To achieve that goal, the US should make sure “Taiwan has the weaponry, everything it needs, so that China understands that trying to invade Taiwan is a very, very bad proposition,” which would be catastrophic not only for Taiwan and the region, but also for the US and the whole world, including China itself.
The US has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan, which is seeking to buy equipment from the US rather than asking for defense by US troops, he said.
As a member of the US House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations, Diaz-Balart said that the committee is negotiating a bill on foreign military financing for Taiwan — the first of its kind — which would allow the nation to purchase more weapons.
He repeatedly underlined the importance for Taiwan to obtain items it has purchased from the US as soon as possible.
Part of the reason for the delays is the US’ industrial base, which needs to be revamped to be able to deal with major confrontations, such as with China, he said.
The US needs to do more, including sending the weaponry Taiwan needs, but also allocating sufficient defense spending domestically to maintain a sound military industrial base, he said.
Diaz-Balart, along with US Representative and caucus cochair Ami Bera, visited Taiwan shortly after the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections.
“Taiwan is a beacon of freedom and democracy” and enjoys a very special relationship with the US that is based on the Taiwan Relations Act promulgated 45 years ago, he said.
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Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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