MEETING THREATS:
The US would continue to assist with fisheries enforcement and maritime operations, along with countering Chinese aggression, the AIT director said
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By Lu Yi-hsuan and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The US has a “rock solid” commitment to help Taiwan maintain self-defense capabilities, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director Sandra Oudkirk said.
“The PRC’s [the People’s Republic of China] aggressive actions towards Taiwan risk destabilizing what has been a status quo situation in the Taiwan Strait that has contributed to decades of prosperity, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific,” Oudkirk said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) on Jan. 26.
These actions include flights by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, economic coercion and punitive fines against businesses, she said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Oudkirk described the commitment to Taiwan as “rock solid,” saying that support comes in terms of “helping Taiwan maintain self-defense capabilities that are adequate to meet the evolving threat environment.”
Security is a key part of the work the AIT does in Taiwan, and security cooperation is governed by Washington’s “one China” policy, she said.
“Support for Taiwan is maybe one of the only things with bipartisan support in the US,” she added.
US policy toward Taiwan is conducted under the Taiwan Relations Act, which includes consideration of the Three Joint Communiques, the “six assurances,” economic effects, people-to-people exchanges and support for Taiwan’s international borders, she said.
When asked about reports that the US plans to accelerate deliveries of F-16V jets to Taiwan, Oudkirk said: “What I can say is that we work very closely with our partners here in Taiwan to move as quickly as we can on defense procurement and deliveries.”
The AIT director spoke highly about a memorandum of understanding signed last year to establish a coast guard working group, saying the deal enabled cooperation in drug interdiction, fisheries enforcement, labor abuses and maritime search-and-rescue.
However, it is not clear if the memorandum could be expanded, as the distance between Taiwan and the US puts constraints on closer forms of cooperation, she said.
“The Taiwan coast guard is an extremely effective maritime law enforcement organization. We are very happy to work with them,” she said.
Oudkirk also spoke of recent tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Washington “has been clear with the Russian government that it has a choice between diplomacy, discussion, escalation and aggression,” she said. “There is a positive solution available. The other path contains nothing but tragedy and heartbreak for everyone.”
Oudkirk said that while Taiwan, like Ukraine, is threatened by a large, authoritarian and undemocratic neighbor with a powerful military, the difference is that Taiwan has made great strides toward democracy and is “a very large, extremely globally significant economy.”
“The people in Taiwan need to be aware that the US is working to help support Taiwan,” she said, adding that “our partners here at the Ministry of National Defense, in the Presidential Office and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working hard to do their part as well. We will continue to work together.”
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