The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) claims that Liaoning exercises around the Taiwan Strait will be “normalized,” and the U.S. has not been shy about sending the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt into the South China Sea and the destroyer USS Makan through the Taiwan Strait. In the face of China’s threat to violate Taiwan by force, Yu Maochun, former Secretary of State Pompeo’s chief China policy advisor, believes that U.S. policy toward Taiwan should be adjusted from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity. What strategy would be most effective in preventing the use of force by the Chinese Communist Party against Taiwan has been the focus of discussion.
The USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier battle group sailed into the South China Sea via the Strait of Malacca on the 4th, the third time this year that Roosevelt has entered the South China Sea. In addition, the USS John S. McCain, a Burke-class Shen Shield destroyer belonging to the U.S. Seventh Fleet, passed through the Taiwan Strait on the 7th. At the same time, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group was training near Taiwan.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby, asked at a regular press conference at the Department of Defense on July 7 whether the USS Makan’s actions were in response to the Liaoning ship’s exercises near Taiwan, said the U.S. does not send or respond to specific events or specific actions by another country by way of freedom of navigation around the world. The U.S. does not send or respond to specific events or specific actions of another country by conducting freedom of navigation around the world. Rather, it is to demonstrate the U.S. firm belief in international law and the freedom of navigation and flight of all nations in accordance with international law.
State Department: U.S. Capable of Resisting Coercive Actions that Could Endanger Taiwan
State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a media briefing on July 7 that the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and that Taiwan contributes to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region.
Price noted that the U.S. is aware of and highly concerned about the continued coercive actions of the Chinese Communist Party in the region, including against Taiwan. In support of longstanding U.S. policy, as reflected in the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States retains the ability to resist any force or other coercive action that could endanger the security, social or economic systems of the people of Taiwan.
Price reiterated that “the United States will continue to work with our allied partners to support each other’s shared prosperity, security and values in the Indo-Pacific region, which also includes peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Worried About Taiwan Strait Situation Yu Maochun Endorses “Strategic Clarity” for Taiwan
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested during an online event at The Washington Post that the situation in the Taiwan Strait is so dangerous that the United States should consider abandoning its long-standing “strategic ambiguity.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s chief China policy advisor, Yu Maochun, echoed this position in an interview with our Viewpoint program. “I basically agree, because strategic ambiguity is a very important shortcut to armed conflict.”
Yu cited two examples, including the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, when the U.S. had “strategic ambiguity” and believed that North Korea and China had nationalist sentiments that would resist the Soviet Union. So the U.S. secretary of state at the time said that if there was a war in Korea, it would not be within the scope of U.S. defense protection. “This gave the aggressive communist forces, an illusion he felt the U.S. would not intervene.”
Similarly, in the Iraq war of the early 1990s, U.S. intelligence agencies and U.S. diplomats had long received Saddam Hussein’s Hussein’s proposal to attack Kuwait, and the U.S. gave a very vague statement that fueled Saddam’s aggressive ambitions. “I think ‘strategic ambiguity’ is very unnecessary, we should carry out ‘strategic clarity’ so that it is right.”
Qi Leyi: U.S. strategic clarity on Taiwan also requires accurate strategic judgment
Military commentator Qi Leyi believes that the United States to Taiwan in addition to “strategic clarity,” in addition to the overall environment of “strategic judgment” to be accurate, which is the most important. The “strategic judgment” is right, all the corresponding measures behind is right.
Qi Leyi: “I give an example, your strategy is very clear, but then the strategic judgment is wrong, is wrong, even if the strategy is clear does not help, which is complementary. Strategic clarity is based on the fact that now is a struggle between democracy and dictatorship, and Taiwan is an important part of democracy. So helping Taiwan is inevitable and necessary because Taiwan is a democracy.”
Leyi Qi pointed out that the USS Roosevelt and USS Makan entered the South China Sea and passed through the Taiwan Strait, respectively, releasing messages indicating “serious U.S. concerns about security in this area.” Leyi Qi said, “If the U.S. doesn’t come it means it doesn’t care, which is a part of strategic clarity.”
Qi Leyi explained that the U.S. has to have an accurate judgment of every Chinese military action in this area before deciding what kind of weapons to give to Taiwan in future arms sales. He cited the 10 arms sales to Taiwan during the Trump administration’s tenure as an example, one time more appropriate and in line with Taiwan’s needs. “In addition to defense and entrenchment, we have to effectively deter ah!”
Qi Leyi said that it was not until late in the Trump administration that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan began to enter some of the more offensive as such armament weapons, including the AGM-84H/K (SLAM-ER) long-range land-attack type harpoon missile, the first time the United States sold weapons capable of attacking Chinese ground targets, which was in response to the judgment that the Chinese Communist Party would have threatening actions against Taiwan.
Recent Comments