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Taiwan must show US its defense commitment (Koo)
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Taiwan must show US its defense commitment (Koo)

COGNITIVE WAR:
A homeland security memo says China has launched a propaganda campaign to stoke fears that the United States is treating Taiwan as a “sacrificial piece.”

  • By Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee / Reuters, TAIPEI

Taiwan must show it is determined to defend itself no matter who wins the US presidency, National Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday, as the US election campaign entered its final hours.

Former US President Donald Trump – the Republican presidential candidate, who was neck and neck in the polls with US Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party – said during the election campaign that Taiwan should pay to be protected and also accused him of theft. American semiconductor company.

Taiwan has faced a sustained campaign of military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including four rounds of major war exercises in the past two years.

Taiwan must show US its defense commitment (Koo)

Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters

“No matter who is elected (US president), we must convey to him that Taiwan has the determination to defend itself and the importance of Taiwan’s economic security and strategic geopolitical position,” Koo said in response to questions from the audience. media on the sidelines of the event. a legislative session.

He said the government’s position was to continually strengthen its self-defense capabilities.

“We adopt an attitude of maintaining regional peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait to allow the world to see the value of Taiwan, whether in terms of economic security or Taiwan’s strategic geopolitical position, so that the world can see the significant value of Taiwan,” Koo said. , when asked if he was nervous about a Trump administration abandoning the nation.

An internal Taiwan security memo, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, says China recently launched a new propaganda campaign aimed at stoking fears that Taiwan could become a “sacrificial piece” because the United States is likely to change their support for Taiwan. after the vote.

“The reality is that, regardless of the election outcome, support for Taiwan has become a consensus,” the memo added.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which suggested last week that Trump as president might “reject” Taiwan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the United States is Taiwan’s largest international financier and arms supplier, despite lacking formal diplomatic relations, Taiwan has also made the development of its own weapons systems a priority, such as missiles. and submarines.

Taiwan does not have a formal defense agreement with the United States, unlike its Asian neighbors Japan and South Korea, after Washington ended a previous treaty with Taipei in 1979, transferring its recognition diplomatic in Beijing.

However, some Taiwanese military personnel train in the United States, including F-16 pilots, and Taipei said a small number of U.S. forces were in Taiwan for a training role.

Taiwan has reported increased Chinese military activity in the run-up to the U.S. election, including China staging long-range air exercises across the Pacific through airspace to the country’s south.

Taiwan received strong support from the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021, including arms sales, which continued under US President Joe Biden’s White House.