Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged that the United States is “a good partner” to prevent China from taking over Taiwan by force.
“Our military has been very active in the region, ensuring that we have a presence so that we can ensure that there is, in fact, a capacity for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Pompeo told the Nikkei Asian Review while traveling in Japan. “These are the kind of things one does. Whether it’s Taiwan or the challenge presented to Japan, the United States will be a good partner for security in every dimension.”
That comment came in response to a direct question about whether the U.S. military would intervene “if China unilaterally attacks Taiwan,” according to a transcript of the interview. Pompeo avoided a direct response at first but warmed to a deterrent theme.
“We’ve only come to recognize that appeasement’s not the answer,” he said. “If one bends the knee each time the Chinese Communist Party takes action around the world, one will find themselves having to bend the knee with great frequency.”
Chinese communist authorities have claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, but the mainland regime has never governed the island, which is the last bastion of the government overthrown in the communist revolution. China’s violations of Taiwan’s airspace have skyrocketed over the last year, necessitating more than 4,100 responses by the Taiwanese air force this year, according to newly released data from Taipei. Last year, there were roughly 1,800.
“We hope the United States considers the unique operational environment and geographical features of the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan proper and provides us with weapons and equipment that meet our operational requirements so that we can better manage the battlefield and increase the cost of the enemy to invade Taiwan and thus achieve deterrence,” Taiwanese deputy defense minister Chang Guan-chung said during the U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference this week.
Senior U.S. lawmakers regard Taiwan as a “dominant strategic position” off the coast of China, from which Beijing could launch military operations that threaten U.S. allies and bases in the region. And Taipei is embracing the role of the front line for democracies in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Countries in this region are collectively confronted by the challenges of maintaining regional peace, stability, and prosperity,” Chang said. “Taiwan and the United States share the same set of values and the same beliefs for regional peace and stability.”
Pompeo emphasized that the U.S. wants to avoid a conflict over the status of Taiwan.
“We are doing everything we can to reduce the tension there,” he said in the interview. “We look to bring peace, not conflict. The shame of it is the Chinese Communist Party. … This is Chinese bullying. This is the Chinese using coercive power. This isn’t how great nations operate.”
