Taiwanese President meets former US Deputy National Security Advisor

Taiwan’s President Lai Qingte met with former U.S. national security adviser Matt Pottinger in Taipei on February 17 to strengthen his partnership with the US to build a reliable “non-red” supply chain We discussed it.

A “non-red” supply chain is a supply chain that does not involve a country that is considered hostile or high risk.

Observers say recent visits to Taiwan by former US officials, including Pottinger, are beneficial to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Pottinger, who served as deputy national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term, is a visiting member of Stanford University’s Hoover Association and is a Washington bipartisan think tank, the Democracy Foundation (FDD), a Chinese programme. I’m the chairman. He visited Taiwan along with the senior director of think tanks at the think tank’s Cyber ​​Innovation Center, retired from the rear of Mark Montgomery’s US Navy and met with Vice President Rai Qingte Fusia Obakim in the President’s Office on Monday.

Lai said Taiwan wants to strengthen Taiwan-US partnerships in areas such as security, trade, economy and energy. “We will promote cooperation in critical and innovative technologies and jointly build a safe, resilient, non-red supply chain, which will enable Taiwan, US and Democrat partners around the world to help technology. “We’re guaranteed to maintain a sensible lead,” he said. In this context, the red supply chain refers to a global supply chain ruled by Communist China.

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Pottinger congratulated Lai on Taiwan’s economic development in his first year as president. He noted that LAI pledged to allocate more than 3% of gross domestic product to its defense budget.

Shen Minh Shee, director of National Security Studies at the Taiwan Institute of Defense and Security, proposed to the Epoch Times on February 20 that Lye should increase his defense budget through a special budget that meets Trump’s expectations. He said.

Trump proposed tariffs of up to 100% on semiconductors entering the US on January 27th. This will hit Taiwan the most violently, as TSMC controls the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

Su Tzu-Yun, researcher and director of the National Defense Strategy and Resources Division of Taiwan’s Institute of Defense and Security, told the Epoch Times on February 20 that the construction of a “non-red” supply chain is oriented to future cooperation. It may help Taiwan bypass tariff barriers between Taiwan and the US, which said it would be.

“The Trump administration will recognize that Taiwan has a $74 billion trade surplus from the US, but that supply chains can move in different directions, such as Taiwan purchasing energy from the US. He explains. did.

Pottinger is not currently part of the Trump administration, but “it doesn’t mean that his impact has diminished or his views are inadequate. By meeting him and Montgomery, he will be joining the American think tank community. Expressing Taiwan’s determination to protect itself is valuable and meaningful,” Shen said.

When Pottinger was a Chinese WSJ journalist in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was threatened and beaten by Chinese police while reporting corruption cases. After witnessing and experiencing communist authoritarianism and atrocities in China firsthand, he joined the military and became an intelligence agent. After taking office as Deputy National Security Advisor, he took a tough stance against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), encouraging Chinese pursuits to be freed from the CCP’s tyranny.

Meet former Trump officials

Pottinger resigned from the Trump administration after the January 6th Capitol incident, 2021, and later testified in Congress on January 6th.

Pottinger’s visit to Taiwan followed a recent visit by Mike Pompeo, who served as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. Nicky Haley served as US ambassador to the United Nations. Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States during Trump’s first term.

Haley and Pence are on Trump’s White House blacklist, but Trump has revoked Pompeo’s security details.

Taiwanese lawmaker Hsu Chiao-Hsin (KMT) has expressed concern that Lai has met politicians whom Trump has broken ties with, which will cause a disaster in Taiwan.

Regarding such concerns, Shen said these former US officials were highly supportive of Taiwan. “And they represent the policies and attitudes of the Republicans in the US. The more friends they make, the better. We can’t stop interacting with them just because they’re not liked by Trump.”

“And they’re still affecting Republicans and Congress,” he said. “The politics are temporary, but their support for Taiwan may be permanent. At present, there are no indications that the Trump administration will oppose or retaliate against Taiwan for this. Furthermore, they will be in the meeting. It’s not a problem because we’re here to attend, so it’s just a routine visit,” Shen said.

Su has a similar rating. “These officials were very supportive of Taiwan during Trump’s first term. Trump’s current officials, whether it’s the national security adviser, Waltz or Secretary of State, are very supportive of Taiwan. They are opposed to the authoritarianism of the CCP. So, from this perspective, they have some political differences with Trump, but they generally agree to counter the CCP. So I don’t think it will affect me.”

Would you like to restore diplomatic relations with Taiwan?

A few days before Pottinger’s visit, the official US State Department website deleted the line on February 13 that it did not support Taiwan’s independence. One China policy and one policy to restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan is the last territory of the Republic, founded in China in 1911. The ROC nationalist government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated by the Communists in the Chinese civil war. The CCP then established a communist regime in mainland China, known as the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The CCP never ruled Taiwan, but it claims sovereignty over the island and has never ruled out annexation by force.

Former US President Jimmy Carter cut off diplomatic ties with ROC, an ally with the US for decades, including during World War II, and formed official diplomatic ties with the PRC in 1978. Ta.

“Removing the line that it doesn’t support Taiwan’s independence does not mean supporting Taiwan’s independence or China’s unification, but people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait make choices without the threat of force Opens options for,” Shen said of her language.

After removing the wording, the US State Department changed the People’s Republic of China to China. “All of these indicate that Rubio’s State Department is supporting Taiwan,” Shen said.

“However, in the short term, the US must completely cut ties with China and establish a ally with Taiwan, unless the US has to establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. No. Taiwan as a use to put pressure on China. Otherwise it would be difficult to achieve,” Shen said.

These changes show that the US is focusing on dealing with China, Shen said: A long-term conflict on both sides. “He said, “But Trump will find ways to widen the gap with China and suppress the Chinese economy and prevent the United States from being challenged.”

Su shares a similar view. “The US policy is very clear. As Secretary of Defense Hegseth said, CCP is the main threat today. In other words, the US will allow the European Union and NATO to handle operations in Europe and Central Asia. While we look at it, the US is focusing on facing the CCP. This is a real structural change and is relatively beneficial for Taiwan,” he said.

Luo Ya contributed to this report.