Taiwan’s military spending accounts for about 5 percent of GDP, based on NATO standards, including 1.5 percent spent on boosting infrastructure resilience, Representative to the US Alexander Yui told former White House senior adviser Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast on Thursday.
Bannon said that some Americans question whether Taiwan has done enough to defend itself against Chinese aggression.
Taiwan is continuing to improve its self-defense capabilities by increasing its defense budget to deter China from invading and maintain peace through strength, Yui said.
Photo: screen grab from a video of the War Room podcast
“Many actions are already under way,” he said.
China is misinterpreting UN Resolution 2758 to claim that Taiwan is a part of the People’s Republic of China, but it has never ruled Taiwan, he said.
Taiwan produces more than 90 percent of the world’s high-end semiconductors and any conflict in the Taiwan Strait would have a serious impact on the global economy, he said.
“It is also about the freedom and democracy we value,” he added.
The US and Taiwan are cooperating on security matters, and US arms sales to Taiwan help it build up its defense, Yui said.
Taiwan is grateful for bipartisan support from the US Congress, and helping the nation to bolster its self-defense and respond to China’s “gray zone” tactics and cyberwarfare, he said.
Regarding tariff negotiations, Yu said he believes that talks between Taiwanese and US officials would result in a fruitful and productive collaboration in terms of trade, investment, technology and export controls.
Taiwan and the US are perfect partners in technology and artificial intelligence development, and more economic and trade cooperation between the two countries would help prevent China from obtaining high-end chips, he said.
ABC News recently reported that Bannon has influenced US President Donald Trump’s Iran policy and had lunch with Trump when he was considering US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
It is noteworthy that Bannon had such a rare meeting with Trump to discuss policy issues, as he holds no official position in the US military or the US Department of State, the report said.
Bannon said during the podcast featuring Yui that he has a history with Taiwan, as he stopped in Kaohsiung 47 years ago while in the US Navy.
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