China’s “provocative” actions around Taiwan, Japan and in the South China Sea run the risk of an accident that could unintentionally spark a broader conflict, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk said in Taipei yesterday at her final news conference as head of the de facto US embassy.
Oudkirk told reporters that the US was “profoundly devoted” to the “status quo” of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the broader region.
“And that is why we have consistently urged the PRC [People’s Republic of China] to avoid coercive or provocative actions both in the Taiwan Straits and in other areas like the South China Sea and off Japan,” she said. “Because provocative actions are almost by definition dangerous. They run the risk of a miscalculation or an accident that could spark a broader conflict.”
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Oudkirk, who is to end her three-year posting next month, said that bolstering Taiwan’s ability to defend itself was the AIT’s top priority, although she declined to answer a question on how the militaries of Taiwan and the US work with each other.
Taiwan has said that arms orders it has placed with the US have faced delays.
“Just like all manufacturing, production of US arms and other military equipment were severely affected during the [COVID-19] pandemic by supply chain problems,” Oudkirk said. “Those are now unwinding.”
“We look forward to the delivery of military capabilities that Taiwan has purchased over the past several years and I would just say — continue to watch this space,” she added.
She said she had taken office in 2021 expecting to oversee efforts to implement the four goals reflecting long-term US policy: supporting Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, increasing the resiliency of the global supply chain, maintaining and expanding Taiwan’s role in the international community, and deepening economic and civilian ties.
As Taiwan and the US jointly face growing challenges, the relationship will strengthen every day, she said.
Oudkirk, who first came to Taiwan in the 1990s, said that Taiwanese “should be proud” of the sweeping, positive changes over the past three decades, adding that it was a dream come true to serve as AIT director.
Oudkirk’s successor is Raymond Greene, currently deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Tokyo and before that deputy head of the AIT.
Oudkirk described Greene as being “very familiar” with Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Yang Yao-ju
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