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O’Brien called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending and carry out military reforms to show the CCP that the invasion must pay a heavy price.
According to Reuters, O’Brien attended an event at the University of Nevada on Wednesday. In his speech, he noted that the CCP had recently carried out large-scale shipbuilding, which may not have been seen since World War I, before Germany tried to compete with the British navy.
He claimed that part of the CCP’s purpose is to drive US troops out of the western Pacific and allow them to carry out amphibious landings in Taiwan.
O’Brien added: “The problem is that amphibious landing is very difficult. The distance between China and Taiwan is 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) and there are very few beaches suitable for landing on the island.”
As for the CCP’s attempt to occupy Taiwan, will the United States step in and help in defense? O’Brien said the United States has long adopted a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on this issue.
The law requires the United States to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, but there is no clear regulation on whether the CCP will carry out military intervention when it launches an attack. The United States has been strategically ambiguous on this issue for a long time. Therefore, if the PLA wants to occupy Taiwan, it must consider the possibility of a US military intervention.
On October 6, when US Secretary of State Pompeo went to Japan to participate in the “quartet meeting”, the Japanese media asked how the United States would react when the CCP invaded Taiwan.
Pompeo responded that the United States does not pursue disputes but peace, but will not sit idly by in the face of the CCP’s invasion. He said, “As the United States, our mission is to reduce this situation. We recognize that appeasement is not the answer.”
At the time O’Brien made this comment, the CCP was significantly increasing its military activities near Taiwan, and China-U.S. Relations had fallen to their lowest point in decades.
At the same time, O’Brien also reiterated that the United States called on Taiwan to increase defense spending and carry out military reforms.
He said: “You cannot just spend 1% of gross national product (GDP) to prevent China from participating in the largest military construction in 70 years.” Currently, Taiwan’s defense budget represents about 1.2% of GDP.
O’Brien said Taiwan needs to “become an army of porcupines” and said that “lions generally don’t like to eat porcupines.”
Prior to this, David Helvey, Acting Under Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs at the US Department of Defense, also stated that the Chinese Communist Liberation Army is not invulnerable. He pointed out that through smart investment, Taiwan can send a clear signal to Beijing, demonstrating the determination of Taiwanese society and the military to defend Taiwan absolutely.
He cited the highly maneuverable “Cruise Coastal Defense Cruise Missile System” (CDCM), which is a reliable, rugged, and cost-effective defense capability. Furthermore, short-range air defense systems, defensive naval mines, small fast-assault boats, self-propelled artillery, and advanced monitoring systems are all suitable for the geographical environment of Taiwan.
Taiwan’s National Defense Ministry told Reuters that it would “get a sufficient budget” to build a strong national defense force.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei #
