Former US vice president Mike Pence on Monday said that China is close to becoming an “evil empire,” as he called for increased arms sales to Taiwan.
“China is the greatest strategic and economic threat facing the United States in the 21st Century,” Pence said in a speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington. “China may not yet be an evil empire — but it is working hard to become one.”
Pence called for increased arms sales to Taiwan, breaking off US economic ties with essential Chinese industries, restricting Chinese nationals working in US technological companies to reduce intellectual property theft and a nationwide ban on Chinese-owned social media TikTok.
Photo: AFP
The Republicans campaigning to become the party’s pick for the election in November next year are almost in unanimous agreement that China is the leading foreign foe of the US.
In the Republican race, the attacks are more frequent and the proposals bolder, political operatives said, thanks to a shift in US public opinion.
About 50 percent of Americans identify China as the greatest threat to the US, a Pew Research poll released in late July showed.
Russia was next, according to 17 percent of respondents.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech investor in the race, is due to deliver a speech tomorrow in which he would lay out his plan for securing economic independence from China.
Fellow rival and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is also due to give a foreign policy speech soon, his aides said.
He is expected to lay out an aggressive stance toward China.
DeSantis has already called for ending normal trade relations with China.
In Florida, he has banned TikTok from government and school-issued devices.
In his speech, Pence amplified a split within the Republican candidates over the war in Ukraine and how China would view the continued US response to Russia’s invasion of its neighbor.
Pence said it was vital that the US gives all military support necessary to Ukraine so it can defeat Russian forces.
Without naming them, Pence decried what he called the “isolationism” of some rivals — such as Ramaswamy, DeSantis and former US president Donald Trump — who have questioned unchecked military and economic support for Ukraine.
“Consider what would happen if the Republican appeasers are successful in pulling support for Ukraine,” Pence said. “What message would it send to China, except a giant, flashing green light for the Chinese invasion of Taiwan.”
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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