Although former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo — known for being the most pro-Taiwan official to hold the post — is not in the second administration of US president-elect Donald Trump, he has maintained close ties with the former president and involved himself in think tank activities, giving him firsthand knowledge of the US’ national strategy.
On Monday, Pompeo visited Taiwan for the fourth time, attending a Formosa Republican Association’s forum titled “Towards Permanent World Peace: The Shared Mission of the US and Taiwan.”
At the event, he reaffirmed his belief in Taiwan’s democracy, liberty, human rights and independence, highlighting a direct path for the nation’s future.
Throughout his time as secretary of state, Pompeo’s strong support for the country deeply moved Taiwanese.
However, many still worry that US Senator Marco Rubio — the presumptive nominee for secretary of state in Trump’s incoming Cabinet — might not be as supportive.
Pompeo told forum attendees that US national strategy and foreign diplomacy is determined by the president — the secretary of state merely executes it. In other words, policy on containing China or supporting Taiwan would be made by Trump, not Rubio. There is no need to speculate with regard to Trump’s thoughts on strategy and policy, Pompeo said. His beliefs are unlikely to change significantly. Therefore, the best way to predict his future approach is to look at his previous term.
During his first stint in the White House, Trump established “strategic clarity,” ending the previous era of “strategic ambiguity,” he said. Although strategic ambiguity had its historical uses, it also created risks, leading oppressors such as China to believe they could act without consequences. Ending it was necessary.
In his next term, Trump is likely to continue his strategic clarity policy by maintaining cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific region — Japan, Australia, the Philippines, India and others — to deter Chinese aggression, he told the forum. Taiwan is free and independent is a message that must be conveyed to Beijing unambiguously.
Pompeo said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) wants Taiwan to believe itself to be isolated and lacking support. Taiwanese must make Xi understand that he is wrong.
Constructive criticism from a good friend is a wake-up call. Taiwanese must realize that spreading skepticism about the US, whether intentional or not, only serves Xi’s political agenda.
Pompeo believes in the value of universal human rights. In a state like China — which requires its citizens to bow to the government and forbids dissenting opinions — people are merely a tool to be used by the government. Such a distorted system cannot become the global norm.
To resist the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) evil, a country like Taiwan — a free, independent and democratic nation that upholds universal human rights, where sovereignty rests in the hands of the public — must receive support.
Pompeo believes Taiwan is a democratic beacon in the fight against an authoritarian China. He firmly believes that it is Taiwan that can change China — not China that can change Taiwan. With each democratic election and each forum like the one on Monday, Taiwan guides China toward a path of transformation.
However, the CCP is doing everything in its power to alter Taiwan. That being said, its infiltration and sabotage are not limited to Taiwan. As Pompeo said, the largest group of infiltrators uncovered by the US was not from Russia, but China.
Moreover, China’s influence campaigns extend far beyond the US — countries around the world, from civil society to the political sphere, have been affected by the CCP’s blatant interference. Through its efforts to undermine democracy, it has become a global public enemy.
Taiwan must demonstrate its resolve to defend independence and safeguard the values of freedom, democracy and human rights — this would allow it to naturally attract the united support of mainstream democratic countries around the globe.
Pompeo’s words should be a wake-up call and a marker illuminating a path for Taiwan’s future. Before it can receive international support, Taiwan must develop self-reliance. By becoming a beacon of democratic values leading the fight against the CCP’s oppression, Taiwan would earn worldwide support and gain the potential to reach new heights.
Pompeo has complete faith in Taiwan’s future. He visited the nation three times as US secretary of state and he is certain that others in the position will also visit Taiwan — perhaps even Rubio.
Tommy Lin is president of the Formosa Republican Association and the Taiwan United Nations Alliance.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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