A former US National Security adviser called for deeper interaction between his country and Taiwan on Saturday during a visit to the self-ruled island, which has seen increased military threats from China.
John Bolton, who could run for the nomination as the Republican Party’s candidate for the White House in 2024, said at a pro-independence rally in Taipei that the national security teams of both parties should develop contingency plans for responding to actions that may undertake Beijing, warning that doing so when the attack occurs would be too late.
“And we have to tell China and Russia what the consequences will be if they take action against Taiwan. Not just the immediate response, but the long-term response, to essentially cut China out of the international economic system if it took military action against Taiwan or tried to launch a blockade around it,” Bolton said.
Bolton, a former militaristic national security adviser to former President Donald Trump, began a week-long visit to Taiwan on Wednesday. The trip reflects the importance of insular democracy in the upcoming US election campaign in the face of growing tension between Washington and Beijing,
Taiwan and China separated in 1949 after a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in power on the mainland. The island has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but Beijing says it must join, by force if necessary.
The United States remains Taiwan’s main ally and politician despite the fact that they do not have a formal diplomatic relationship. US law requires Washington to address all threats to the island as matters of “great concern,” although it remains ambiguous about whether it would mobilize its troops to help defend the territory.
On Friday, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said the Chinese military had flown 38 fighters and other warplanes near the island. It was the biggest display of its kind since the maneuvers in which he pretended to isolate the territory after the sensitive meeting between the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, and the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, on April 5. .
China opposes any official contact between Taiwan and other governments.
For its part, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army later on Friday protested the flight of a US Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol plane across the Taiwan Strait, calling it a provocation that Washington “grossly exaggerated.” .
The US 7th Fleet said Thursday’s flight was in accordance with international law and “shows the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
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