The top US diplomat overseeing arms sales yesterday said she would promote US weaponry at the largest air show in Asia, where China’s military footprint and political influence are surging.
A large US delegation at the Singapore Air Show is doing “everything we can” to encourage Southeast Asian governments to purchase US-made arms such as the F-35 jet, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Tina Kaidanow told reporters in a telephone briefing.
She repeatedly sought to dispel the notion that US influence was in retreat.
Photo: Bloomberg
The administration of US President Donald Trump in December last year outlined a national security strategy that emphasized countering China’s rise. The strategy calls for reinforcing the US’ presence in the Indo-Pacific region, where Beijing and Washington have accused each other of stoking a dangerous military buildup while vying for influence.
Washington has been seeking to woo nations such as Vietnam with arms sales and transfers at a time when China has bolstered its territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Kaidanow said the transfer last year of a coast guard cutter to Vietnam, which often contests China’s maritime claims, was an “incredible positive.”
“They will be able to use our equipment for maritime domain awareness, for maritime security... That’s important for them,” said Kaidanow, who visited Hanoi last week shortly after US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, on a visit to Vietnam, announced plans to send an aircraft carrier to the nation in a show of solidarity.
“Our hope is they will consider American companies [not only] in defense, but in other sectors as well,” Kaidanow said.
Kaidanow said she would meet with officials from Japan, Canada and several Southeast Asian nations to discuss arms purchases at the trade show in the coming days and added that Southeast Asian countries should consider purchasing US arms “not just as a matter of security, but also regional balance.”
US warships are to maintain their freedom-of-navigation operations in South China Sea waters claimed by China, she said, adding: “We will absolutely continue the pace.”
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
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
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
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
RSS