The US aims to “ensure that it is not easy or cost-free” for China to use military aggression against Taiwan, a senior US defense official told a seminar in Washington on Thursday.
China is unlikely to attempt a rash invasion of Taiwan in 2027 — a goal assumed by some analysts — but the US would continue to strengthen its regional deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure that China is aware that such an attempt would be very costly, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said.
He made the comments during a seminar titled “Unpacking the Pentagon’s 2022 China Military Power Report,” held by the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute think tank.
Photo: CNA
Ratner said he thinks that next year is “likely to stand as the most transformative year in US force posture in the [Indo-Pacific] region in a generation.”
“We’re going to be making good on a strategic commitment” on deterrence that is “more lethal, more mobile, more resilient and exactly reinforcing” to “make some of these rapid, low-cost invasions nearly impossible,” Ratner said.
“Our goal is to ensure that that is never easy for them to do rapidly or cost-free,” he added, referring to Beijing potentially trying to seize Taiwan by force.
Beijing has said it aims to achieve certain milestones in the development of its military in the years 2027, 2035 and 2049, with the goal of displacing the US as the world’s top military power by 2049.
Some analysts have cited 2027 as when China might attempt an invasion of Taiwan, although Ratner disagrees.
There is no indication that China would attack Taiwan in 2027, although there is a consensus in the US Department of Defense that Taiwan’s regional deterrence must be urgently strengthened and maintained, Ratner said.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase, who also attended the seminar, quoted former US Indo-Pacific command head admiral Philip Davidson in reference to the US’ role in the region.
The US must ensure that when Beijing examines the Taiwan issue, it concludes that “today is not the day” to become militarily aggressive against Taiwan, he said.
Ratner referred to the Taiwan-related provisions in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, saying that the authorization of US$10 billion in military aid for Taiwan over the next five years symbolizes cooperation between US Democrats and Republicans toward Taiwan’s defense.
Bipartisan support in Washington sends a clear message to Beijing that the more it engages in acts of intimidation and coercion, the more urgently Washington would sense that it must assist Taiwan in bolstering its deterrence and military capabilities, he said.
Asked whether Washington would object to a future US House of Representatives speaker visiting Taiwan — given China’s reaction when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited in August — Ratner said the decision would be made by the members of the US Congress and Taiwan.
The speaker would also be advised to assess whether such a visit is worth any predictable consequence, he added.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary