TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink on Tuesday (April 30) said Washington should maintain the policy framework toward Taiwan and bolster Taiwan's deterrence capabilities.
During a hearing on “U.S. policy on Taiwan" held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on East Asia, Kritenbrink said the U.S. should continue to maintain its policy framework towards Taiwan and changing this framework would be unwise. He emphasized that enhancing Taiwan's military deterrent capability and resilience is a top priority.
This month marks the 45th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) by the U.S. Congress in 1979. Both chambers of Congress held hearings this week on U.S. policy towards Taiwan, inviting Kritenbrink to explain the Biden administration's policy towards the country.
Kritenbrink told lawmakers that the TRA is a “remarkably prescient document" that enables the U.S. to continue addressing current challenges in the Taiwan Strait within its framework.
He said that China's threats to Taiwan have been increasing, and Beijing has never renounced the use of force to annex Taiwan. “In response to this threat, and consistent with our “one China” policy, this administration is intensely focused on bolstering cross-strait deterrence using the range of tools at our disposal,” said Kritenbrink.
When asked to respond to calls to change U.S. policy, Kritenbrink said the Taiwan Relations Act and other elements of the “one China” policy already provide the necessary tools. He emphasized that this framework has withstood the test of time over the past 45 years and has upheld peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Kritenbrink asserted, “We believe that changing that framework, changing the TRA, or the core elements of the U.S. ‘one China’ policy would be unwise, and rather than contributing to stability, we believe it would undermine it.”
“I think it's important that the United States and our allies and partners continue to be the parties that stand for the status quo, that stand for the responsible maintenance of the status quo, and stand against coercion and upending that framework” stressed Kritenbrink.
He added, “On a daily basis, we think it is much more productive to focus on concrete, tangible means to build Taiwan's deterrent capability, to focus on tangibly expanding the number of countries who recognize the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and are willing to contribute to its maintenance.”
