A prominent US China expert last week called on Taiwan to increase military spending to at least match the US as a percentage of GDP, saying that it would be “unrealistic” to reach 10 percent.
Oriana Skylar Mastro, a fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, made the remarks during a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday last week titled “Shared Threats: Indo-Pacific Alliances and Burden Sharing in Today’s Geopolitical Environment.”
Mastro called Taiwan a unique situation compared with other US allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region, as it is the only one facing the acute threat of war with China.
Photo: AFP
“If Taiwan expects the US to help in a conflict, thereby risking major war with China, Taiwan does need to contribute more to deterring the war, and prevailing if that proves necessary,” she said.
The imbalance of power between Taiwan and China means that the former’s ability to “hold off” long enough for US forces to arrive is “the heart of deterrence,” Mastro said.
"Taipei will never be able to defend itself completely without US assistance," she added.
The strategy should be for Taiwan to withstand 30 days of an invasion while US forces arrive in the region, but the US should also take steps to convince Beijing that quick military action has no way of succeeding, she said.
"There is no scenario in which Taiwan wins a war against China without direct US military intervention," she added.
Within the next three to four years, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is to tell Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) it is able to take Taiwan by force, Mastro said.
While Taiwan spending 10 percent of its GDP on military spending is likely unrealistic, especially given total government spending only stands at 13.7 percent, it must still increase military funding, she said.
“As a symbolic gesture, Taiwan should spend at least the same amount as the United States on defense — currently 3.4 percent of GDP,” Mastro said.
The money that Taiwan does spend on defense should go to buying “the right weapons,” focused on asymmetric warfare instead of traditional high-cost platforms such as submarines and F-35 jets, she said.
“Taiwan should persist in acquiring large quantities of anti-air, anti-armor and anti-ship missiles, weapons that provide more value in Taiwan’s defense scenario,” she said.
There is a “political need for Taipei to show seriousness about its defense if American lives are going to be sacrificed for its defense,” Mastro added.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS