China’s massive military buildup will “complicate” US options should China attack Taiwan, US-China Economic and Security Review Commission chairman Dennis Shea said on Thursday.
Beijing’s greatly increased military capabilities could impact the potential for US intervention, he said.
China will “increasingly challenge” US ability to deter regional conflicts, defend longtime regional allies and partners, and maintain open and secure access in the Asia Pacific, the commission’s annual report to the US Congress said.
“The broad build up of Chinese military capabilities would certainly complicate a US intervention in the case of an attack in a Taiwan scenario,” Shea said at a meeting called to release the report.
He said the commission had always shown “very strong” support for Taiwan and for the sale of US weapons to ensure the nation could meet its self-defense needs.
However, he said it was clear that the military balance had shifted significantly in favor of China.
“A strong Taiwan helps maintain stability across the Taiwan Strait and the US should ensure that Taiwan has what it needs for defense,” commissioner Peter Brookes said.
The commission hoped to “raise the profile” of the situation and make [the] US Congress aware of Taiwan’s security needs, commissioner Katherine Tobin said.
There is “tremendous unease” throughout the region, she said.
China was altering the military balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region in ways that could exacerbate regional hotspots such as Taiwan, the report said.
The US would need to quickly and safely deploy military forces across great distances during a regional conflict, it said.
Taiwan is about 11,265km from San Diego.
“China’s large-scale cybercampaign against the US could further impede US wartime operations,” the report said.
According to the report, China now maintains the largest and most-lethal short-range ballistic missile force in the world, and all of the missiles — about 1,200 of them — could strike targets throughout Taiwan.
“During a conflict with Taiwan, China likely would use its short-range ballistic missiles to strike critical military infrastructure, and command and control nodes, as well as key political and economic centers,” the report said.
It said that China would likely fire large salvos from multiple directions to “confuse, overwhelm and exhaust” the nation’s ballistic missile defenses.
The report said that China’s ballistic and cruise missiles have the potential to provide the People’s Liberation Army with a decisive military advantage in a regional conflict.
“China now is able to threaten US bases and operating areas throughout the Asia Pacific, including those that it previously could not reach with conventional weapons, such as US forces on Guam,” the report said.
“China’s nuclear force will rapidly expand and modernize over the next five years, providing Beijing with a more extensive range of military and foreign policy options and potentially weakening US extended deterrence, particularly with respect to Japan,” it added.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS