Taiwanese leaders fret over US commitment to Ukraine – media — RT World News
Officials in Taipei have reportedly raised questions about what declining support for Kiev means for their security
US lawmakers who visited Taiwanese leaders this week were reportedly met with apprehension and questions about Washington's security commitments amid its stalled support for Ukraine.
He added: “Taiwan is very interested in Ukraine, and is very concerned that we may withdraw from Ukraine.” US Representative Mike Gallagher, who led the congressional delegation's visit to Taipei, He told reporters Friday. Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin who chairs the House Select Committee on China, said the visit is intended to show Washington's unwavering support for Taiwan, regardless of who wins the US presidential election in November.
The five-member delegation met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and President-elect Lai Ching-ti, among other leaders, during a three-day visit to the self-governing island. Such trips in recent years have contributed to escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing, which has pledged to reunite it with its breakaway region, by force if necessary. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called on US lawmakers to stop official contacts with Taiwan and “Stop sending any wrong signal to the separatist forces.”
Gallagher said the US failure to continue to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia could have a destabilizing effect in the Taiwan Strait. US President Joe Biden pledged to continue providing weapons to Kiev “Whatever it takes,” But conservative Republican lawmakers refused to approve his request for an additional $60 billion in emergency funding. Washington exhausted aid funding for Ukraine last month, after exhausting $113 billion in previously approved spending bills.
He added: “The outcome in Ukraine is not only important to Ukraine and the credibility of the United States, but also to deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and deterrence across the Strait.” Gallagher said. He claimed that A “De facto coalition” Relations between Russia, China, and Iran have attempted to undermine Washington's structure of international alliances, making steadfast support for Ukraine and Taiwan even more important.
Taiwanese MP Wang Ting-yu told… Wall Street Journal That abandoning Ukraine will “Embold the tyrants in Beijing, North Korea and other countries. “They will realize that the world leader does not have the strength to maintain his patience to support his allies.”
Gallagher lamented that the United States has not yet been able to clear the $2 billion in shipments backlogged under arms sales to Taiwan. He said Washington's defense industrial base should be revitalized, and suggested that establishing manufacturing partnerships in Taiwan could alleviate production shortfalls.
“Unlike Ukraine, Taiwan is an island and will be difficult to resupply,” he added. The congressman said. “We need to learn the lessons about why deterrence has failed in Ukraine and apply them to the Indo-Pacific region so that we do not find ourselves having to fight a war.”
Gallagher added that he wants the Taiwanese people to trust this America stands with them, even as we go through a very tense political season at the local level.” He also sought to send a message to Beijing, “If Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party make the incredibly foolish decision to attempt to invade Taiwan, this effort will fail.”
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