(Daily360.com) Matthew Pottinger, a National Security Advisor for the Trump administration, said that the United States needs to act quickly to prevent China from invading Taiwan. Pottinger made an appearance on “Face The Nation” to promote his new book about the necessary steps to defend Taiwan.
Pottinger said Xi Jingping wants to overtake Taiwan, which would be highly detrimental to American security and prosperity. He said that he and his co-authors remain optimistic about the prospect of deterring China’s invasion of Taiwan, but it requires specific steps by the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan.
The first step, Pottinger said, is to invest more in weapons manufacturing so that China will know that the U.S. can support Taiwan beyond the initial battle. Pottinger said most people are unaware that the United States is spending less than half of what it was during the 1980s during the Cold War with Ronald Reagan as president. He said the military spending at the time was enough to prevent war from breaking out.
China has put more pressure on Taiwan following the inauguration of Lai Ching-te in May. China has been conducting major military drills in the region and has dropped tariff concessions with Taiwan. China says the removal of the tariff concessions is in response to Taiwan’s violation of a 2010 agreement in which they enacted “discriminatory measures.” Taiwan sends 35% of its trade exports to China, so removal of the tariff concessions will cause significant financial impacts on Taiwan.
President Joe Biden said the U.S. may provide military support to Taiwan if China decides to invade. President Biden said he communicated with President Xi Jingping to say that the U.S. will not attempt to seek independence for Taiwan, which is an agreement that has been in place between the U.S. and China. Biden did say that if China tries to make unilateral military action, then the U.S. will provide support to Taiwan.
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