Securing stability
Taiwan’s recent political climate has been turbulent. A string of recall votes has left the Democratic Progressive Party bruised at the local and social levels, draining its political momentum. While the votes appeared to target individual politicians, they are symptoms of deeper problems: internal friction, populism and short-sightedness that erode the country’s governance.
However, amid the domestic turmoil, the US has sent an unusually pointed message. American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene recently met with Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and held talks with opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators. These were not routine exchanges. They were clear reminders that Taiwan’s defense budget and legislative efficiency are not just domestic matters — they are integral to the security of the entire region. Washington cannot afford to watch Taiwan risk becoming the weak link in a regional defense chain.
In August 2023, Boris Ryvkin, a former US Senate adviser, argued in the Daily Telegraph that the US should negotiate with Taiwan to lease the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and establish a base there. Although not official policy, the suggestion underscored a crucial truth: Taiwan’s security is inseparable from international sea lanes and the stability of the global order.
The Pratas Islands are small, but their location at the northern tip of the South China Sea makes them strategically vital. If they became a symbol of Taiwan-US cooperation, they would represent a commitment to collective security at a time when the international community is watching closely.
The choice for Taiwan is stark. Aligning with Beijing means alienating the democratic world. Standing with democratic allies is the only path to safeguarding freedom. If the KMT continues to obstruct national defense and promote pro-China policies, fueling internal chaos, it would only lose global trust.
President William Lai (賴清德) should seize this moment and consider leasing the Pratas Islands to the US. Such a move could strengthen deterrence against China, deepen strategic cooperation and send a powerful signal of reliability to Taiwan’s allies.
The Pratas Islands might be just a speck on the map — but they could well be the key that unlocks Taiwan’s path toward a grand strategy worthy of its role in the free world.
Shih Li
Tainan
Taiwan stands at the epicenter of a seismic shift that will determine the Indo-Pacific’s future security architecture. Whether deterrence prevails or collapses will reverberate far beyond the Taiwan Strait, fundamentally reshaping global power dynamics. The stakes could not be higher. Today, Taipei confronts an unprecedented convergence of threats from an increasingly muscular China that has intensified its multidimensional pressure campaign. Beijing’s strategy is comprehensive: military intimidation, diplomatic isolation, economic coercion, and sophisticated influence operations designed to fracture Taiwan’s democratic society from within. This challenge is magnified by Taiwan’s internal political divisions, which extend to fundamental questions about the island’s identity and future
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