Top US Official: US Is Committed to Helping Taiwan Defend Itself
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The US policy toward Taiwan is clear and remains unchanged, says top US representative in Taiwan.
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The US is considered Taiwan’s largest weapons supplier.
The top US representative in Taiwan, Sandra Odekirk, said the United States is committed to helping Taiwan defend itself.
Odekirk described US relations with Taiwan as "very solid" during her first press conference since assuming office in July.
“The United States has a commitment to help Taiwan provide for its self-defense," she stressed.
Her comments coincide with soaring tensions between Taiwan and China.
Although the US is legally bound to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, it has long maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" on whether it would intervene militarily to back Taiwan in the case of a Chinese attack.
The US, like most countries, has no formal ties with Taiwan, yet it is considered the island’s chief international sponsor and the largest weapons supplier.
Responding to whether the US would back Taiwan if it was attacked by China, Oddkirk said that the US policy toward Taiwan is clear and remains unchanged.
The current surge in Chinese military war games in the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone is part of what Taipei views as stepped-up military harassment by Beijing.
Additionally, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on members of the United Nations to include Taiwan in UN activities. In a press conference, he urged UN members to back Taiwan''s "robust" and "meaningful" participation.
What do you need to know?
If we take a closer look at the map of East Asia, we can infer the great difference in capabilities between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan; by looking at the declared intentions between both parties, an observer could raise a question about the reason that is preventing the PRC from reestablishing its sovereignty over the island, since it considers it a part of its national territory. The great gap between the material capabilities, from a military and a civilian standpoint, reinforces these questions.
The answer carries many aspects; some of the aspects are political while others are military. It is hard to judge which has more sway over the other. However, judging by the material circumstances, we can only be sure that the PRC hasn't decided yet.
