TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese attack against Taiwan will have much greater consequences than the Russian invasion of Ukraine because of Taipei’s major role in the global economy, according to American China expert Steve Yates.
A frequent visitor to Taiwan, Yates chairs the China Policy Initiative (CPI) at the America First Policy Institute. He made the comments on the Fox Business show “Mornings with Maria” Monday (March 14).
Due to the war in Ukraine, concern has been mounting that China might launch a similar attempt to invade Taiwan. Yates said, “There are much bigger consequences to a Chinese attack on Taiwan than just the humanitarian ones, which are severe.”
He emphasized the Asian country’s key role in international supply chains. “So whether it comes from chips to software to a whole host of different industries, Taiwan is a big part of the global economy.”
Yates cautioned that the United States should not take the same approach as it has in Ukraine, pulling back from defense assistance before an invasion in order not to provoke the potential invader. Washington should instead come up with a serious way of showing the U.S. stands by Taiwan, he said.
Yates served as deputy assistant for national security affairs to then-Vice President Dick Cheney from 2001 through 2005 and later as president of Radio Free Asia. At the CPI, he takes part in advancing policies that reverse decades of U.S. accommodation of China.
The CPI believes the communist country poses a different problem than previous foreign threats to the U.S., as it has permeated every aspect of life, from trade and higher education to Hollywood and sports.