The US must warn China of the severe consequences of taking military action against Taiwan, former US national security adviser John Bolton said in Taipei yesterday.
Bolton made the remarks while giving the keynote address at the World Taiwanese Congress’ annual meeting.
He added that the US must work closer with Taiwan and allied countries in Asia on national security to counter Chinese aggression, and ensure that Taiwan remains a free and democratic country.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“People thought Ukraine could not fight, they say it’s just part of Russia historically, whereas in fact, Ukrainians have fought with skill, morale and effectiveness,” said Bolton, who also served as US ambassador to the UN.
It would be the same for Taiwan, he said.
“Will Taiwan fight for its independence?” he asked, as people in the audience shouted: “Yes, we will.”
“That is the right answer,” Bolton said, smiling as people applauded in the conference room.
“That’s what China has to understand, that the people here believe in governing themselves, and they are not going to give it up, and it’s important that is communicated to the US. So when commentators said that Taiwanese are using Americans’ support, but they are not really prepared to defend themselves ... that is wrong. If it came to military action, then Taiwan would fight,” he said.
Bolton criticized politicians and commentators in the US and around the world who he said claim Taiwan is being provocative.
China is the aggressor, always threatening Taiwan and other countries in the region, he said.
“Strength is not provocative; weakness is provocative,” Bolton said.
Weakness is what needs to be avoided in Taiwan, he said, urging the US to help Taiwan to bolster its military capabilities.
“We need to do more to convince [Chinese President] Xi Jinping [習近平], that he cannot prevail” and that an attack on Taiwan would have heavy consequences for China, Bolton said.
The US should recognize Taiwan, he added.
When Taiwan was expelled from the UN in 1971, former US president George H.W. Bush was the US ambassador to the UN and he supported dual recognition, so that Taiwan could keep its seat in the UN, but the idea was rejected by Taiwan and China at the time, Bolton said.
“But now dual recognition makes sense from the US perspective, though it could be displeasing to Bejing, but that’s the point [we must make], to show that relations between the US and Taiwan are fixed, and will not go away,” he said.
Even now in the absence of full recognition, richer strategic dialogues between Taiwanese and US officials are needed, not just between diplomats, but also those in the military and intelligence fields, so that the two national security teams can coordinate, Bolton said.
Other allied countries must also be involved in contingency planning, to assess what China might do and how to respond, he said.
“If an attack takes place, then it’s too late,” he said.
If Taiwan pressed for more national security discussions, it would have a greater chance of deterring Chinese aggression or defending itself, he said.
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu said the strengthening of military facilities would help to maintain security in the Taiwan Strait Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi, visiting a military base close to Taiwan, said plans to deploy missiles to the post would move forward as tensions smolder between Tokyo and Beijing. “The deployment can help lower the chance of an armed attack on our country,” Koizumi told reporters on Sunday as he wrapped up his first trip to the base on the southern Japanese island of Yonaguni. “The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate.” Former Japanese minister of defense Gen Nakatani in January said that Tokyo wanted to base Type 03 Chu-SAM missiles on Yonaguni, but little progress
NO CHANGES: A Japanese spokesperson said that Tokyo remains consistent and open for dialogue, while Beijing has canceled diplomatic engagements A Japanese official blasted China’s claims that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has altered Japan’s position on a Taiwan crisis as “entirely baseless,” calling for more dialogue to stop ties between Asia’s top economies from spiraling. China vowed to take resolute self-defense against Japan if it “dared to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait” in a letter delivered Friday to the UN. “I’m aware of this letter,” said Maki Kobayashi, a senior Japanese government spokeswoman. “The claim our country has altered its position is entirely baseless,” she said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg on Saturday. The Chinese Ministry
RSS