A new report published by the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan warns that support from the United States is essential to the country’s deterrence against an attack from China.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan recently released the Quadrennial Defense Review, emphasizing the need for support from the United States with regard to reconnaissance and intelligence support, U.S. support for long-range precision strikes, and continued purchases of U.S. military hardware.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Quadrennial Defense Review, which outlines various policies during the first year of each new presidential administration, said, “The U.S. is a crucial strategic partner, working closely with us on military cooperation and helping to boost our self-defense capabilities.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, this year’s Quadrennial Defense Review marked the first time the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan dedicated an entire section of the document to the relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. military.
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The recent Quadrennial Defense Review indicates that Taiwan’s military’s strategy of deterring China in multiple ways remains largely the same, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, the outlet noted that the Quadrennial Defense Review suggested that China’s capabilities, such as advances in the use of drone warfare and cyber warfare, have changed.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Lin Ying-yu, a defense expert and a teacher at Tamkang University, suggested that the unprecedented section in the Quadrennial Defense Review regarding the relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. military could mean “exchanges with the U.S. is an essential area we’re going to keep strengthening in the future.”
Lin added, “The QDR is not just for the Taiwanese people, it’s also meant to be read by the outside world about how much the Taiwan-U.S. cooperation is deepening.”
A fact sheet published in February by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs states, “As a leading democracy and a technological powerhouse, Taiwan is a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific. Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship. The United States and Taiwan share similar values, deep commercial and economic links, and strong people-to-people ties, which form the bedrock of our friendship and serve as the impetus for expanding U.S. engagement with Taiwan.”