US must support Taiwan with weapons against mainland aggression, Donald Trump is told
- Asia Society panel calls for ‘strong and credible’ US defence of Taiwan where Beijing’s forces vastly outmatch those mustered by Taipei
A group of US scholars has called on President Donald Trump to be ready to deter aggression by mainland China against Taiwan, maintain a strong military presence in the Western Pacific and help the self-ruled island develop a strategy in tackling expansionist Beijing.
In a 53-page report released by the Task Force on US-China Policy – a group of China 17 specialists formed by the Asia Society – Washington was reminded of the long-standing American policy of insisting on a peaceful resolution to the question of Taiwan’s future and the extent of the self-governing island’s dependence upon US military power.
The panel of experts said the United States should not break with nearly 50 years of practice and challenge Beijing’s one-China policy, a move that would inflame tensions across the Taiwan Strait or, worse, precipitate military force from mainland China.
The report said: “Washington must maintain a strong and credible military presence in the Western Pacific to convince Beijing that the United States still has serious military options,” despite China’s rapid military expansion and development of advanced weapons.
The report, “Course Correction: Toward an Effective and Sustainable China Policy”, addressed the gulf in military forces between Beijing and Taipei and said it was necessary for Washington to “assist Taiwan in developing asymmetric capabilities to hold off the massively superior mainland military until the United States can bring forces to bear”.