Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing.
The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP.
Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team, wrote in response to committee questions that “the military balance has deteriorated dramatically from Taiwan’s perspective,” so it “should be dramatically increasing its defense capabilities focused on denying an invasion and riding out a blockade.”
Photo: Bloomberg
“Taiwan, however, is not doing nearly enough of this,” he wrote.
Colby said that Taiwan had an “alarming lack of urgency” in strengthening its defense capabilities in an op-ed for the Taipei Times last year.
Trump, who has accused Taiwan of “stealing” the US semiconductor industry and questioned US commitment to its security, last year suggested that Taipei spend about 10 percent of GDP on its armed forces.
President William Lai (賴清德) last month pledged to boost military spending to 3 percent of GDP, from 2.45 percent this year, aimed at showing Trump its commitment to defending itself.
However, yesterday’s meeting raised concerns over the Legislative Yuan’s cuts and freezes to the defense budget this year, led by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which US Senator Dan Sullivan described as “playing a dangerous game.”
The budget cuts had already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans, Colby said.
US Senator Angus King also questioned Colby on his faith in Taiwan’s commitment to its own defense amid the cuts, stating concerns of sending US troops to defend a nation that does not seem “too concerned about its own defense capabilities.”
Colby said he would continue bilateral communication and policy advisories, urging Taiwan to step up its military strength to match that of South Korea, which he believes is not only feasible, but fair to the US people and troops who have invested heavily in its defense.
Colby yesterday reiterated his views that the US’ goal should be “denying China regional hegemony,” and that US military power must be focused overwhelmingly on countering China.
If confirmed, Colby said he would provide the US president and the secretary of defense “with the best military options to back up the policy of deterring and, if necessary, denying an attack on Taiwan at a reasonable level of cost and risk for the American people.”
Senators questioned Colby about some of his previous social media posts, including his assessment that Taiwan is “not existential for America,” which he reiterated.
Meanwhile, cross-strait relations were also raised in a separate confirmation hearing held on Tuesday for US deputy secretary of state nominee Christopher Landau.
US policy regarding Taiwan has long been informed by the Taiwan Relations Act, Landau said, adding that it is US policy to protect the economic and security interests of Taiwan to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
He also raised the Three Joint Communiques, a set of bilateral agreements with China that acknowledges there is only “one China,” and the “six assurances,” commitments made to Taiwan thereafter that the US would not act as a cross-strait mediator or allow Beijing to dictate US arms sales to Taiwan.
Landau reiterated that the US strongly opposes any changes to the “status quo” and any attempts to resolve disputes through force.
The Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees are expected to vote soon on Landau’s and Colby’s nominations.
If approved, the nominations would be sent to the full Senate for debate and a final vote, which would require a simple majority for Colby and Landau to be confirmed.
Additional reporting by CNA
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
RSS