On Tuesday, The Biden Administration approved a military transfer of $80 million to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF), a program typically used for sovereign states. In response, China’s state-run newspaper has stated that the U.S. has crossed a red line with “lethal consequences.”
At present, the U.S. embraces the “One China” Policy, which fails to recognize Taiwan as a nation and adopts the posture of “strategic ambiguity” about whether or not the U.S. will defend Taiwan against invasion. This creates mutual confusion with China about red lines and increases the risk of major conflict between the U.S. and China, a risk that is heightened in the near-term when the entire U.S. economy and modern way of life relies on leading-edge semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan.
U.S. Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy issued the following statement:
“It is a vital U.S. national security interest to ensure that China does not acquire sole control of the global semiconductor supply chain. Accordingly, the U.S. should shift from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity: commit to affirmatively defend Taiwan against Chinese annexation until the U.S. achieves semiconductor independence, at which point the U.S. should resume its current posture of strategic ambiguity.
“In the meantime, Taiwan can double its own military expenditures to a more rational 4-5% of GDP while the U.S. bolsters its own military and economic alliances with India, Japan, and South Korea and fortifies our own homeland defense capabilities – including but not limited to nuclear missile, super-EMP, and cyber defenses.
“This is how we can stop Chinese aggression and advance vital long-run U.S. interests while avoiding World War III. I am the only U.S. Presidential candidate in either political party who has offered a clear vision for how to achieve this goal.”
