Nick Schifrin:
Taiwan has long been the most tense flash point between Washington and Beijing. By law, the U.S. is required to help Taiwan defend itself, and the U.S. trains Taiwanese soldiers, sells Taiwan weapons, and in recent years has advanced regional alliances while expanding its own military presence.
Beijing vows to unite with Taiwan peacefully or by force, and the Chinese military regularly exercises around Taiwan. There is now a public debate about whether Taiwan is spending enough on its defense, whether Ukraine is either a distraction or a test case, and whether defending Taiwan is a vital U.S. interest.
So, to have that debate, we have two views. Randall Schriver was assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs during the first Trump administration. He is now chairman of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security. And Michael Swaine is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and writes extensively about security issues in Asia.
Thanks very much, both of you. Welcome to the “News Hour.”
Randy Schriver, let me start with you.
Is defending Taiwan a vital U.S. interest?
Randall Schriver, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indonesia-Pacific Affairs: Well, our law says any threat to Taiwan is of grave concern, and that’s a view that’s been held for decades.
Taiwan is clearly very important to us across the spectrum of issues, economic and trade issues. We all know the semiconductor story, the geography being really central in the region with proximity to things we care a lot about, South China Sea, East China Sea. It’s a partner in so many different efforts, assisting Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Ebola in Western Africa, so it’s a like-minded partner.
So I think it certainly merits at least meeting what our law says, have the capacity to resist force and help Taiwan defend itself.
