Taiwan neighbors oppose US cutting Taipei support – 台北時報 Feedzy

REPORT:
While Japan thinks Washington should increase its support to Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines are concerned about the effects it would have on them

By Lin Tsuei-yi
and Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporters in TOKYO and TAIPEI

Japan, South Korea and the Philippines all oppose the US reducing its support to Taiwan, research by US think tank RAND Corp and Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation found.

The report was completed in February and published online last month. The foundation invited the authors — including Jeffrey Hornung, Miranda Priebe and Bryan Rooney, who are all political scientists at RAND Corp — to share the findings in an online forum.

The authors interviewed policymakers and experts in the three countries, asking them about their views on potential changes to the US’ Taiwan policies in the areas of diplomacy, intelligence, the military and economy.

Japan underscores the importance of Taiwan to its security as it thinks a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might be the first step in China attacking Japan, Hornung said.

The US should increase its diplomatic, military and economic support to Taiwan, and Japan would follow suit, he said.

Among the hypothetical US policies raised in the interviews, Japan supports the US advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion in forums that do not require statehood, as well as increasing official high-level interactions with Taiwan, its presence in the region, and arms sales and security assistance to Taiwan, the report said.

Regarding whether the US should explicitly state that it would defend Taiwan or increase its presence in or near Taiwan, the Japanese interviewees had mixed feelings.

Meanwhile, South Korea strives to strike a delicate balance between the US and China, supporting the US while avoiding tensions with China, Hornung said.

South Korea worries that a conflict over Taiwan could prompt China to support North Korea’s military action against it, which is its major concern, he said.

South Korea generally does not support increased US diplomatic and military support to Taiwan and prefers maintaining the “status quo,” he said.

The Philippines has a similar attitude, as it is far more concerned about China’s expansion in the South China Sea than it is about security in the Taiwan Strait, he said.

It does not support increasing official high-level interactions between the US and Taiwan, and thinks that the US should not increase its military presence in or near Taiwan, the report said.

Despite their ambiguous feelings toward increased US support, the three countries all oppose reduced US support to Taiwan, as they believe it might lead to instability in the Taiwan Strait, Hornung said.

If the US reduced its support for Taiwan, they would perceive the move as the US being less committed to their security, Priebe said.

Regarding economic relations, the three countries think the US should pursue a bilateral free-trade agreement with Taiwan and support for its inclusion in regional trade agreements, because integrating Taiwan’s economy is beneficial to the region and less likely to anger China, Hornung said.

It is crucial for Taiwan to maintain relationships with regional partners, Rooney said.

Although the Philippines might maintain its neutral stance, it could take steps to protect its close economic and trade relations with Taiwan, he said.