The White House chief of staff has warned that any announcement that the US will protect Taiwan against China will have “serious consequences”.
Washington has for many years been holding on to “irrational ideas” about Taiwan, made up of blocking Taipei From the declaration of independence and China leaving the war to seize the country. Beijing claims that Taiwan’s democracy is part of the ruling world.
Some experts have suggested that the move to “smart lighting” to Explain Beijing for the US to defend Taiwan. But Kurt Campbell, White House Asia tsar, said the change was risky.
“There are some problems that. . . understandably, “he told the Financial Times Boardroom international conference Tuesday.
“The best way to achieve stability and stability is to send a comprehensive message on dialogue, defense and our potential to the Chinese leadership, so they don’t have to worry about other advanced and dangerous alternatives in the future. . ”
China brutal military service and the growth of self-defense is delivering a strong message from Washington, some experts have said. But some have argued that the answer may lead to misconceptions. China has warned the US of crossing the “red line” across Taiwan.
Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, China said China would soon see a change in the law as “difficult” and unstable. “It would reinforce the Chinese view that the US wants to elevate China, including the military, and it could possibly cause Beijing to undermine US interests around the world,” he said.
But David Sacks, a colleague at the Council on Foreign Relations who is supporting the change, said there was a “serious problem with the misunderstanding of ideas”, which was created at a time when China had no military power to attack Taiwan.
“The US mindset must recognize that sanctions are being undermined and must change according to China’s power,” he said. “China’s actions in Hong Kong show that opposition to Western sanctions is not enough to justify its actions. A clear mindset could give China a real threat to Taiwan’s future.”
Problems have grown as China has many warplanes to the Taiwan Aviation Safety Center last year, on what has been a common occurrence. Last month, the People’s Liberation Army sent 25 fighter jets to the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ.
Investigators say the missions should have intimidated Taipei and exhausted the military, which is forced to make jets in response.
At the last summit in March before retiring as US chief of staff in the Indo-Pacific, David Davidson said he was concerned that China might end invasion of Taiwan within six years. He also said that although the misunderstanding helped to protect what had been going on for years, “these things should be considered on a regular basis”.
A few days later, a U.S. official told FT that officials thought China was flirting with the idea about fighting.
Asked if the country should prepare for possible conflicts in Taiwan, Campbell posed a risk, saying the Chinese military was trying to “turn the tide” on Taiwan.
But Elizabeth Economy from the Hoover Institution tank, who spoke on behalf of Campbell, said she was “deeply concerned”.
“One thing you can learn about Xi Jinping by reading all his speeches and following what he does is that there is a strong connection between what he says and what he does,” Economy said.
“He also stressed the need to reconnect with Taiwan in the near future. He did not stop using force. . . We need to focus on what can make him more confident, so that his soldiers can be more confident. ”
Ryan Hass, a Chinese specialist at the Brookings Institution-tank, says that Campbell’s comments are important because there were “few… While language accuracy has far greater consequences than Taiwan”.
“Campbell’s review of the long-term principles shows that stability and resilience will remain the modern order in tackling Taiwan’s problems,” Hass said. “His comments should reduce the impact on Taiwan’s operations by US officials.”
Follow Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter: @Dimi
