TAIPEI: The United States cannot abandon the Indo-Pacific because the region is part of its “core national interests,” Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo said amid concerns about US security commitments to Taiwan.
The White House clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, which plunged ties between Kyiv and its top military backer to a new low, has renewed concerns in Taiwan about Washington’s security commitment at a time when China is ramping up its military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over the democratic island.
“We indeed noticed the fast-changing and tricky international situation and deeply understand that we can’t just talk about values but not national interests,” Koo told reporters at a briefing on Monday when asked whether the US is still a reliable security partner for Taiwan.
“So we must ask: keeping the peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region including the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, is that a core US national interest?” Koo asked.
“I think it is impossible for the United States to retreat from the Indo-Pacific because it is its core national interest.”
Koo said “using deterrence and strength to achieve peace” has been the long-standing consensus between Taipei and Washington, and that stability in the region is important for the United States, both economically and geopolitically.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei.
Taiwan, which strongly rejects China’s sovereignty claim, enjoyed support from the first Trump administration. But Trump unnerved Taiwan on the campaign trail by calling for it to pay more for US security guarantees.
‘Impossible’ for US to give up Indo-Pacific, Taiwan defense minister says
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‘Impossible’ for US to give up Indo-Pacific, Taiwan defense minister says
- ‘I think it is impossible for the United States to retreat from the Indo-Pacific because it is its core national interest’
- The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties
Russia urges UK to disclose what soldier killed in Ukraine was doing, accuses London of wider role
- Britain’s Ministry of Defense said the soldier died in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability
- Zakharova said the British government should not deceive its citizens
MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Britain needed to disclose what a British soldier killed in Ukraine on Tuesday was really doing there, accusing London of helping Kyiv carry out “acts of terrorism.”
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that the soldier, Lance Corporal George Hooley, died in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability away from the frontline.
Zakharova said the British government should not deceive its citizens by claiming that British soldiers sent to Ukraine were mere advisers or instructors, accusing British forces of helping Kyiv “carry out terrorist attacks and extremist tasks” on London’s direct orders.
Zakharova, who said Russia would regard any foreign military contingents in Ukraine as legitimate targets, did not set out evidence to back up her accusations of alleged wider UK involvement.
The British government, one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, has never confirmed how many service personnel are in Ukraine but the BBC has reported that a small contingent is supporting Ukrainian forces and is providing security to diplomatic staff.
