Indian Defence Review

The US Stance

The US Government has made it clear that it supports peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo. Yet Beijing’s sustained military build-up in the area of the Taiwan Strait risks disrupting the status quo. Accordingly, and consistent with the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act, Public Law 96-8, (1979), the United States is taking steps to help maintain peace, security and stability in the region by offering to sell defense system to Taiwan in order to correct imbalances in the areas of air and missile defense, and anti-submarine warfare.

These systems, i.e. Patriot PAC-III air defense systems, P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, and diesel attack submarines were included in the original Special Budget (the PAC-IIIs have since been removed), which remains before the Taiwan Legislative Yuan, as it has since 2004. Simultaneously, the Department of Defense, through the transformation of US Armed Forces and global force posture realignments, is maintaining the capacity to resist any effort by Beijing to resort to force or coercion to dictate the terms on Taiwan’s future status.

The China-Taiwan economic engagement and horrendous cost of military confrontation is keeping the Chinese restrained. However their desire to unify Taiwan with mainland China remains as strong as ever. The other major factor is the support Taiwan gets from the US. Perhaps the Chinese are waiting for 2050 when they may overtake US as the largest economic and military power in the world before exercising the military option. No one can predict the outcome of such a venture on part of China and Chinese themselves will be naive to believe that US will take it lying down. It may result in a holocaust which the world can ill afford.