Washington’s transactional Taiwan policy puts Indo-Pacific at risk, ex-US officials warn
Washington’s policy towards Taiwan is increasingly tied to its relationship with Beijing, according to former US officials who also warn that the war in Iran is weakening US military readiness for a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait. During a fireside chat in an annual symposium hosted by the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington on Wednesday, Brent Christensen, former director of the…
Former US officials have warned that Washington’s transactional approach to Taiwan’s relationship with China is putting the Indo-Pacific region at risk, particularly due to the ongoing war in Iran weakening US military readiness. During a symposium, former Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director Brent Christensen noted a "discontinuity" in US policy towards Taiwan, with increased demands for Taiwan to share defense burdens and invest more in hi-tech production.
China hawk Laura Rosenberger expressed concerns about the characterization of arms sales as negotiating chips, citing a $14 billion arms sale that was not moved forward by Congress. This approach contrasts with Taiwan's envoy Alexander Yui Tah-ray's assertion that US-Taiwan relations remain robust. Former US Navy commander Mark Montgomery highlighted the US's weakened position in the western Pacific, attributing it to the diversion of carrier strike groups to the Middle East due to Iran.
This diversion has resulted in no US destroyers or aircraft carriers actively operating in the western Pacific, potentially causing a major decline in combat readiness. Montgomery emphasized that Taiwan's semiconductor industry is crucial for US weapons production, and any armed conflict harming this industry could have severe global economic consequences.
He criticized President Trump for not understanding the strategic value of Taiwan, emphasizing the need for the US to support Taiwan without coercion.
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.
