The US and its allies need to accelerate the delivery of weapons to Taiwan in the next few years to help Taipei defend itself, the top US general said yesterday.
“The speed at which we, the United States, or other countries assist Taiwan in improving [its] defensive capabilities, I think that probably needs to be accelerated in the years to come,” US General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a visit to Tokyo.
Milley said Taiwan needed weapons like air defense systems and those that could target ships from land.
Photo: AP
“I think it’s important that Taiwan’s military and their defensive capabilities be improved,” he said.
Taiwan has since last year complained of delays to US weapons deliveries, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers directed supplies to Ukraine as it battles invading Russian forces.
The issue has concerned some US lawmakers.
Taiwan has said that its defense spending this year would focus on preparing weapons and equipment for a hypothetical “total blockade” by China, including parts for F-16 warplanes and replenishing weapons.
China staged war games around Taiwan in August last year, firing missiles over Taipei, and declaring no-fly and no-sail zones in an apparent simulation of how it would seek to cut Taiwan off from the rest of the world.
In the past few days, China’s military has been practicing joint force operations at sea ahead of Taiwan’s annual war games at the end of the month, when it would simulate breaking a Chinese blockade.
Milley said that relations between Washington and Beijing were at a “very low point” and diplomatic meetings, including between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Wang Yi (王毅), were important to reduce the chances of escalation.
The US is looking at whether it needs to change where some US forces are based in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
The majority of US forces in the region are in northeast Asia, including 28,500 in South Korea and 56,000 in Japan.
“We are seriously looking at potential alternative basing options,” Milley said.
In Jakarta, Blinken called for stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“We must uphold freedom of navigation in the South and East China seas, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
In other news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the EU and Japan for underlining the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in Brussels on Thursday for the 29th summit between the EU and Japan, after which they released a joint statement.
"We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community,” the statement said.
The three leaders expressed concern about the situation in the region and strong opposition to “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, and increase tensions that could undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order.”
The EU and Japan maintain their positions on Taiwan and the “one China” policy, while calling for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, it said.
They also mentioned militarization, coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea, calling on all parties to respect international law, and to maintain freedom of navigation and overflight, it said.
In Taipei, the ministry welcomed the statement yesterday and thanked the EU and Japan.
The EU in European Council conclusions released on June 30 had voiced concern over growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
The joint statement published after a May 22 summit between the EU and South Korea also underscored “the importance of preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
These statements demonstrate that cross-strait peace has become the consensus of EU member states, and the focus of high-level exchanges between the EU, China and nations in the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said.
Taiwan occupies a core position within the first island chain, and plays a key role in the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
Taiwan would continue to cooperate with like-minded partners such as Japan and the EU to safeguard democratic values and to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region, it said.
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