US wants Taiwan to ‘serve as cannon fodder’ against mainland China: state media
“Separatists” and the United States are putting Taiwan in greater danger, state broadcaster CCTV warned on Friday after Washington’s de facto ambassador said the island could convince a potential adversary that landing forces would be very difficult. Raymond Greene, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, said in a keynote address at the 2026 Taipei Security Dialogue on Wednesday that…
State media warns that the United States is urging Taiwan to serve as "cannon fodder" in a potential conflict with mainland China. CCTV broadcast warned that US de facto ambassador Raymond Greene's speech at the 2026 Taipei Security Dialogue implied that Taiwan's mission is to wear down China militarily, not to win a war outright.
Greene stated that Taiwan should not demonstrate its ability to win outright but instead convince an adversary that landing a large ground force would be difficult and costly. Taiwan's No. 2 leader Hsiao Bi-khim responded by aiming to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, a goal Greene called insufficient. CCTV suggested that Greene's speech projected US strategy, implying that Taiwan is a pawn to provoke conflict and curry favor with the US.
US President Donald Trump previously indicated no intention to send US troops 9,500 miles away to fight a war in Taiwan. US hawks have advocated for a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan, but its delivery has been delayed for the Iran war. The US-China relationship views Taiwan as a sensitive issue, with Beijing considering it a core issue that could lead to conflict if mishandled.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
