Taiwan put on US defence department list of ‘countries’ in latest move likely to goad China
- The wording is an apparent break with Washington’s long-standing adherence to a one-China policy
- The acting US defence secretary, in the report’s introduction, identifies the Chinese Communist Party as the architect of a vision for ‘repressive world order’
The Trump administration’s move to include Taiwan on a list of “countries” in a US Department of Defence report is the latest in a series of provocative moves that appear aimed at confronting China, and putting it on notice.
“All four countries contribute to US missions around the world and are actively taking steps to uphold a free and open international order,” the report says, citing the four “countries” as “reliable, capable and natural partners”.
The defence department did not respond to questions about its use of language, any intended purpose or message, although a senior Pentagon official said on Thursday that Taiwan was under growing threat from Beijing.
Analysts said the use of “countries” is the latest salvo by the Trump administration as the US and China face off over trade, security, education, visas, technology and competing visions of “civilisation”. Past references to Taiwan as a nation have tended to involve misstatements by US officials rather than wording in a well-edited report, they added.
In an introductory message to the “Indo-Pacific Strategy Report”, acting secretary of defence Patrick Shanahan appeared to stir the waters further by pointedly identifying the Chinese Communist Party as the architect of a vision for “repressive world order”.