TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Taiwan Chief of General Staff Li Hsi-ming (李喜明) and Project 2049 research associate Eric Lee (李艾睿) recently had an article published by NBC in which he recommended the U.S. help Taiwan restructure and carry out its defense strategy.
In the opinion piece titled “The threat of China invading Taiwan is growing every day. What the U.S. can do to stop it,” the two experts said that China has become a military competitor to the U.S. and is “the single greatest strategic challenge facing Washington.” They emphasized that American officials have been caught off guard by Beijing’s rapid military modernization and that it is impossible to gauge when China could possibly invade Taiwan.
The analysts said that the military imbalance between Taiwan and China increases the likelihood of a cross-strait conflict. Thus, Taipei must quickly bolster combat capabilities that center on asymmetric warfare in order to make Beijing think twice about attacking.
They recommended that the U.S. “prioritize Taiwan’s defense readiness and work with Taipei to expeditiously reform and implement its defense strategy.” Simultaneously, Washington should create a U.S.-Taiwan joint working group that focuses on establishing an Overall Defense Concept, they added.
The experts suggested the U.S. stock up on munitions, spare parts, and other key defense equipment that could ramp up Taiwan’s defense readiness. They also said that Washington should help increase defense capabilities among its allies, as well as its own military, in a way that targets the People’s Liberation Army's weaknesses in a Taiwan Strait conflict.
The experts warned that a Chinese attack on Taiwan is increasingly likely and could have global economic and military repercussions.