US is key in Strait peace: MAC

Taiwan would not be able to counter military threats from China without US support, said the government's number two cross-strait policy official.

"I hope we [Taiwan] will further enhance cooperation with the US. Aid from the US is vital for Taiwan to defend itself from China's military threats," said Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Wu An-chia (吳安家) at a conference on warfare at Tamkang University yesterday.

"Whether China will use force against Taiwan depends on the attitude of the US. According to the Taiwan Relations Act, the US government is obliged to provide Taiwan with sufficient defensive power," Wu said.

The Taiwan Relations Act -- passed in 1979 -- governs Washington's relations with Taipei since the end of official diplomatic relations.

"In the foreseeable future, China will continue to use a strategy of military intimidation against Taiwan. But it is hard to say to what extent it is willing to make use of this intimidation."

Counter-offensive weapons could be an effective deterrent to China's carrying through on its repeated military threats against Taiwan, Wu said.

"We may follow the example of Singapore in developing a `scorpion' counter-offensive capability. Singapore is surrounded by countries larger and stronger than it. It makes itself immune to attacks from those countries by adopting a defense strategy of striking hard at aggressors, much like a scorpion does," Wu said.

He declined to mention which kinds of weapons would constitute a deterrent.

Referring to Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) new government many times in his speech, Wu urged the new administration not to underestimate the importance of the US in Taiwan-China relations.

The US, he said, is crucial in maintaining a balance of power in the Taiwan Strait.

Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), a political analyst at Soochow University and also a foreign policy advisor to Chen, said Chen is the most pro-US among all presidential candidates, even more so than outgoing President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).

Lo said he communicated Chen's pro-US stance to US delegates during the presidential election.

For the new government, Wu advised strategic utilization of Taiwan's resources if it ever engages with China.

Beijing's military capability, he said, is superior to Taiwan's in many ways. But asymmetrical warfare -- in which one side applies its strengths in areas off the immediate battlefield, such as disabling enemy computer systems -- is still a feasible strategy for the underdog, Wu said.

"Although we are a small country, we can deal with a large country like China by putting all our available resources and bargaining chips to their best use," he said.

But a war of attrition could be costly for Taiwan, Wu said.

"If we engage with China, we must not forget that we will be at a disadvantage if the exchange between the two sides proceeds too fast or too widely," Wu said.