Taiwan may soon come under pressure from US President Barack Obama’s administration to raise its defense budget to 3 percent of GDP, a nominee for US assistant secretary of defense for Asia has said.
“Our priority should be to assist Taiwan in implementing an asymmetric and innovative defense strategy to deter aggression from China,” David Shear said before the US Senate Armed Services Committee this week, as it considered his nomination — expected to be approved — for what is in effect the Pentagon’s top policy official for Asia.
Shear, currently the US ambassador to Vietnam, said the US welcomed the rise of a peaceful China, but that the rapid growth of the Chinese military remained a concern.
He said China’s increasing defense spending was part of a long-term military modernization program that lacked transparency.
It is aimed at winning high-intensity, short-duration regional conflicts primarily focused on Taiwan, Shear said.
Relations between the US and China are often affected by Washington’s ties to Taiwan, Shear said, adding that if confirmed, he would “urge” Taiwan to increase its defense budget to 3 percent of GDP.
Insiders agreed later that such a statement would not have been made without approval in advance by the Obama administration.
At the same time, Shear said, the US should continue providing Taiwan with what it needed to maintain its defense.
He said Taiwan should be encouraged to develop a defense force capable of thwarting Beijing’s coercive efforts.
“We are paying particular attention to Chinese investments in technology development, as well as what they are fielding,” Shear said.
He said China had become more assertive in its claims of sovereignty, including its maritime claims in the South China Sea and the recent declaration of its air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
“The United States does not recognize and does not accept China’s ADIZ, and the announcement was provocative and raised tensions,” he said.
Former undersecretary of the US Navy Robert Work — who has been nominated for US deputy secretary of defense — told the committee that the “scale and character” of China’s military growth was “increasingly becoming a source of concern.”
US Senator John McCain has put a hold on Work’s nomination after Work said he had not read a critical government report last year on cost issues involving littoral combat ships.
“China’s near-term focus appears to be preparing for potential contingencies involving Taiwan, and deterring or denying effective third-party intervention in cross-strait conflict,” Work said.
He added that China is “devoting increasing attention and resources to conducting operations beyond Taiwan and China’s immediate periphery.”
He said the US should closely monitor the evolution of China’s armed forces and remain the preeminent military power in the Asia-Pacific.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS