Retired US admiral Philip Davidson, who in 2021 warned of a potential Chinese conflict with Taiwan by 2027, is in Taiwan to discuss regional security-related issues.
He was the head of the US Indo-Pacific Command at the time.
Davidson is part of a six-member delegation from US-based think tank the National Bureau of Asian Research that arrived in Taiwan on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
The group is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and visit two government-funded non-governmental organizations — the Institute for National Defense and Security Research and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy — to exchange views on regional security issues during their stay, which ends on Saturday, the ministry said.
Other members of the delegation are Tami Overby, senior adviser of the Albright Stonebridge Group; James Schoff, senior director of the US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA; and research bureau members April Herlevi, Alison Szalwinski and Rachel Bernstein, the ministry said.
During a stop in Japan prior to visiting Taiwan, Davidson told Japanese media that he stood by his remarks that China might attempt to attack Taiwan by 2027.
Many media outlets described his remarks as predicting a Chinese “invasion” of Taiwan by 2027, but Davidson said in Japan that when he made the comment in 2021 at a US Senate hearing, he was not asked about an invasion, but about any potential conflict with Taiwan.
“What does that include? In my mind, that can be many lesser things than an all-out invasion. One of those would be the threats to outer islands, and I think it’s a grave security concern of Taiwan’s,” he was quoted as saying by the Japan Times on Wednesday last week.
In other news, Department of North American Affairs Director-General Douglas Hsu (徐佑典) yesterday said that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington maintains close contact and genial interactions with the office of US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The ministry would not be at liberty to say, even if the representative had met with McCarthy, Hsu said in response to media queries.
McCarthy had pledged to visit Taiwan if he became House speaker. He was elected speaker earlier last month.
Punchbowl News on Monday last week reported that the Pentagon is preparing for McCarthy to visit Taiwan later this year.
Hsu yesterday said there was currently no further information on McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan.
Separately, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) yesterday traveled to the US to attend the US National Prayer Breakfast.
When asked by reporters whether a meeting with McCarthy is likely, You said he was a guest and respected the arrangements of the TECRO.
It is a good thing to have more interaction with the US Congress or executive branch, You said, adding that how such interactions go forward is up to the diplomatic corps, whose efforts should be commended.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) on Monday urged McCarthy not to visit Taiwan. She did not say what China would do in response to such a trip.
Additional reporting by Yang Cheng-yu,
Lin Liang-sheng and Bloomberg
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