May 23, 2016
U.S. ‘Ambiguity’ on Taiwan Is Dangerous
If China were to attack Taiwan, would American forces come to the island’s defense? It is hard to know because the U.S. maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” concerning how it would respond. It’s time for that to change.
The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 states only that the U.S. would regard such an attack as of “grave concern,” and only commits the U.S. to maintaining the ability to defend the island. This is a much less firm commitment than the U.S. offers in NATO and to allies Japan and South Korea. But the U.S. stakes in defending a democratic Taiwan and maintaining the credibility of the overall U.S. alliance structure are no less significant.
To read the full article, visit The Wall Street Journal website.
More from CNAS
-
Video
Martijn Rasser offers insights to Fox News on how semiconductor shortage intensifies US-China tensions. Watch the full conversation on Fox News....
By Martijn Rasser
-
Commentary
The time has come to demonstrate again that the United States seeks to engage partners in Southeast Asia at the highest levels of government. As the region’s economic and secu...
By Chris Estep
-
Reports
As the competition between the United States and China to shape the course of the 21st century intensifies, Southeast Asia has become a contested space....
By Patrick M. Cronin, Abigail Grace, Daniel Kliman & Kristine Lee
-
Commentary
Business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month warned that China has overtaken the United States in the development of artificial intelligence and other emer...
By Kristine Lee