Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has said that the United States has a policy that does not recogise Taiwan as a nation and adopts the posture of “strategic ambiguity” over whether or not it will defend the island country against a Chinese invasion.
Beijing considers Taiwan as its breakaway province and insists it should be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan, however, sees itself as completely distinct from China.
“It is vital for US national security interest to ensure that China does not acquire sole control of the global semiconductor supply chain,” Ramaswamy said in a statement on Sunday (September 3) amidst increasing tension with China on the Taiwan issue.
“Accordingly, the US should shift from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity: commit to affirmatively defend Taiwan against Chinese annexation until the US achieves semiconductor independence, at which point the US should resume its current posture of strategic ambiguity,” he said.
The Biden administration, last week, approved a military transfer of USD 80 million to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF), a programme typically used for sovereign states.
A state-run newspaper in China hit back and stated that the US had crossed a red line with “lethal consequences.”
The Indian American’s campaign said that currently the US embraces the “One China” policy which fails to recognise Taiwan as a nation.
This creates mutual confusion with China about red lines and increases the risk of major conflict between the US and China, a risk that is heightened in the near term when the entire US economy and modern way of life rely on leading-edge semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan, the campaign said.
“In the meantime, Taiwan can double its own military expenditures to a more rational four to five of GDP while the US bolsters its own military and economic alliances with India, Japan, and South Korea and fortifies our own homeland defense capabilities – including but not limited to a nuclear missile, super-EMP, and cyber defenses,” Ramaswamy said.
“This is how we can stop Chinese aggression and advance vital long-run US interests while avoiding World War III. I am the only US Presidential candidate in either political party who has offered a clear vision for how to achieve this goal,” the Republican presidential candidate added.
(With PTI inputs)
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