If Taiwan needs a sign that the relationship with the US is “at a high water mark,” it only needs to look at the schedule of newly appointed American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk for the past four months.
After assuming the post at the end of July, Oudkirk met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 10, when Oudkirk said that “the Taiwan-US relationship is at a high water mark.”
Since then, Oudkirk has kept a packed agenda. From appearing at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport when Moderna COVID-19 vaccines donated by the US arrived, to traveling to Chiayi County to witness the upgrading of F-16 combat squadrons, to accompanying US congressional delegations to meetings with Tsai and visiting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) facilities, there is no question that Oudkirk has been demonstrating the high water mark occasion with tangible actions.
The Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) is another example.
To resolve the predicaments Taiwan faces in joining international organizations, the US founded the GCTF in 2015, a tailor-made platform to utilize Taiwan’s strengths and expertise to address global issues of mutual concern with the international community, focusing on public health, crime, digital economics, cybersecurity and other fields.
Since assuming her position, Oudkirk has hosted six consecutive workshops with one to two events per month. The topics have included green energy and sustainability, labor rights protection, crisis management and disaster response, women in government, protecting the rights of people with disabilities and countering fake news.
All of these issues are within Taiwan’s areas of expertise, and by standing shoulder to shoulder with the US, the nation can bring to life its slogan of “Taiwan can help” and contribute in a variety of ways to the international community.
Japan became the GCTF’s third partner in 2019, and has since joined Taiwan and the US in cohosting all of its workshops.
Australia also joined the framework in October.
The GCTF alliance can assist Taiwan in becoming central to those countries’ strategies in the Indo-Pacific region.
Additional like-minded countries such as Canada, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Israel and some countries in the EU have joined the GCTF to cohost workshops on a wide range of topics.
Taiwan might be seeing a spillover effect from the GCTF, with a growing number of participating countries and increasing diversity in the topics it covers.
Since the administration of US President Joe Biden took office in January, US Navy vessels have sailed through the Taiwan Strait 11 times, conducting regular freedom of navigation patrols every month. Tsai has also confirmed the presence of US troops in the nation to help train the Taiwanese military.
Meanwhile, a TSMC 5-nanometer wafer plant under construction in Phoenix, Arizona, is to be the US’ largest direct foreign investment in the country’s history.
With defense and supply chain cooperation in place, there is no doubt that the relationship between Taiwan and the US is at a high water mark.
As visits from US government officials and congressional delegations are expected to increase, Oudkirk’s schedule is likely to become busier than ever.
Chen Yung-chang is a company manager.
Translated by Rita Wang
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
It is being said every second day: The ongoing recall campaign in Taiwan — where citizens are trying to collect enough signatures to trigger re-elections for a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators — is orchestrated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), or even President William Lai (賴清德) himself. The KMT makes the claim, and foreign media and analysts repeat it. However, they never show any proof — because there is not any. It is alarming how easily academics, journalists and experts toss around claims that amount to accusing a democratic government of conspiracy — without a shred of evidence. These
Taiwan is confronting escalating threats from its behemoth neighbor. Last month, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills in the East China Sea, practicing blockades and precision strikes on simulated targets, while its escalating cyberattacks targeting government, financial and telecommunication systems threaten to disrupt Taiwan’s digital infrastructure. The mounting geopolitical pressure underscores Taiwan’s need to strengthen its defense capabilities to deter possible aggression and improve civilian preparedness. The consequences of inadequate preparation have been made all too clear by the tragic situation in Ukraine. Taiwan can build on its successful COVID-19 response, marked by effective planning and execution, to enhance
Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has upheld the core goals of “making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” fully implementing an “America first” policy. Countries have responded cautiously to the fresh style and rapid pace of the new Trump administration. The US has prioritized reindustrialization, building a stronger US role in the Indo-Pacific, and countering China’s malicious influence. This has created a high degree of alignment between the interests of Taiwan and the US in security, economics, technology and other spheres. Taiwan must properly understand the Trump administration’s intentions and coordinate, connect and correspond with US strategic goals.
RSS