US urged to strengthen military and economic ties with Taiwan by a prominent think tank
- Centre for Strategic and International Studies contends that distrust of China across the US political spectrum will make policy advances easier
- If Joe Biden becomes president, his administration’s support for Taiwan could wane while seeking Beijing’s cooperation on other priorities, analysts said
The next US administration should strengthen military and economic ties with Taiwan and raise the cost of any Chinese invasion even as it presses Taipei to bolster its own security, according to a blueprint on Taiwan policy released Wednesday by a prominent Washington think tank.
Spurred in part by Beijing’s heavy-handedness, there is rare agreement across the US political spectrum about distrusting China and supporting Taiwan, which should make policy advances easier, the report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies contends.
“China imposed national security legislation on Hong Kong, denying its people of the freedoms that they were guaranteed,” said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at CSIS and an author of the report, “Toward a Stronger US-Taiwan Relationship”.
“And there‘s growing concern that Taiwan could be Beijing’s next target.”
As the US presidential election nears – Election Day is November 3, and early voting has already begun in many states – rumours have swirled in China policy circles that President Donald Trump or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could make an “October surprise” visit to Taiwan.
