A US defense expert is urging Japan to sell Soryu-class submarines equipped with US communications and weapons systems to Taiwan.
“Washington should make Taiwan’s submarine program a priority for the bilateral security relationship,” American Enterprise Institute defense policy analyst Michael Mazza said.
In a study published this week by institute, Mazza said US President Barack Obama’s administration should directly inform Beijing that it views China’s military modernization “with great concern.”
He said the nature of the buildup makes it a central national security concern for the US.
The buildup, Mazza said, is largely focused on enabling the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to defeat the US military in battle, to subjugate democratic neighbors like Taiwan and to deny the US free access to the Western Pacific and Asian waters.
“Chinese military modernization threatens to undermine an Asian order that has been key to prosperity and security in both Asia and the US,” he said.
Mazza said he believes China is threatening the peace in the South China Sea on which US economic and security interests depend.
In the East China Sea, Mazza said, China is showing a “reckless disregard” for the maintenance of peace and is challenging the US’ most important regional alliance.
Mazza said the US must adopt a more robust regional posture and contain the Chinese military within the first island chain.
“Doing so will minimize the Chinese military’s ability to pose a direct threat to the US and effectively threaten the US’ allies,” he said.
Mazza made the case for two strategies in particular that he considers worth pursuing.
First, he said that US partners South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and India all want to upgrade their submarine fleets.
US strategists, Mazza said, should consider the value of an allied submarine “picket line” that would allow for enhanced tracking of Chinese subs exiting and re-entering the South China Sea, and position the allies to more easily close strategic chokepoints in the event of conflict.
“Partner nations could divide geographic responsibilities, with Taiwan taking primary responsibility for patrolling waters in and around the Taiwan Strait and the US doing so in the South China Sea itself,” he said.
To encourage greater interoperability, Mazza said the US should support Japan’s efforts to sell its submarines abroad and lobby for US industrial participation in indigenous submarine programs.
In particular, he said, Washington should assist Taiwan with its indigenous production plans or push Tokyo to sell Soryu-class submarines to Taipei.
“Where direct cooperation might be too sensitive — between Southeast Asians and Taiwan for example — the US can abet implicit coordination,” Mazza said.
Mazza’s study followed testimony by US Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall before a hearing of the US House Armed Services Committee that China’s military modernization had undermined US superiority.
“We’re at risk and the situation is getting worse,” Kendall said.
Earlier this week, the former intelligence chief of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, Captain James Fanell, said in Honolulu that Beijing was “rejuvenating” and preparing for a military conflict.
“China’s rise, if left unchecked or undeterred, will necessarily disrupt the peace and stability of our friends, partners and allies,” Fanell told the Washington Free Beacon Web site.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to