Two visiting US senators yesterday pledged to strengthen deterrence against what they described as the “axis of aggression” led by China, in a rare news conference held at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
“There is an axis of aggression that threatens the freedom of many people around the world,” US Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, said shortly after a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德).
The Republican lawmaker and vocal supporter of Taiwan was specifically referring to China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, whose leaders are reportedly gathering in Beijing next week for a military parade marking the end of World War II after Japan’s surrender.
Photo: EPA / Liu Shu Fu/Presidential Office
Wicker emphasized the need for the US and its allies to build up deterrence against China, which he described as “the pacing threat,” adding that the US-led camp “are faced with the most dangerous security moment since World War II.”
“War has come when we let our guard down, when we thought that peace would always remain, and [when] we did not pay attention to mounting threats,” he added.
Wicker said he wished to reaffirm to Taiwan “our determination to remain the best of friends and to defend the freedom of everyone and both of our great countries.”
Photo: CNA
“It is our determination and our intention that Taiwan remain free and make its own decisions,” Wicker said.
US Senator Deb Fischer, who sits on the same committee, said that Washington and Taipei must “invest wisely to strengthen deterrence and to ensure that our defenses are prepared for the threats of tomorrow.”
Neither Wicker nor Fischer specified what sort of efforts are needed to more effectively deter China, other than citing enhanced cooperation between militaries and defense industries.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
“The importance of deterrence is to be able to have friends, partners [and] allies around the world who work together” to take on “aggressive [and] belligerent” nations, Fischer said.
“A stronger Taiwan means a stronger United States, and vice versa,” she added, calling Beijing’s increasing military threats and political pressure on Taiwan “unacceptable.”
The two senators, who arrived in Taiwan earlier yesterday for a two-day trip, did not disclose details of their meeting with Lai, saying only that the conversation was “meaningful” and “productive.”
Their Taiwan visit is part of a wider regional tour that also includes stops in Hawaii, Guam, Palau and the Philippines.
During the meeting, Lai emphasized his administration’s commitment to strengthening asymmetric capabilities through arms purchases from the US and domestically developed defense programs. He also called for joint research-and-development (R&D) projects to help narrow the military imbalance across the Taiwan Strait.
China’s state media reported that the country’s defense budget this year is an estimated US$249 billion, more than 10 times Taiwan’s.
However, Lai said that Taiwanese remain resolute in defending their nation.
“We will not allow any encroachment on, or annexation of, our sovereignty,” he said.
Additional reporting by AFP
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