“I think, Taiwan should pay us for defense.
You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything,” Mr. Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek. He complained that Taiwan “took our chip business.” Why “are we doing this?” Mr. Trump also offered a geography lesson. “Taiwan is 9,500 miles away” while it’s “68 miles away from China.”
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton recalls similar lines from Mr. Trump in his White House memoir, and you can be sure Beijing read Mr. Bolton’s book. Mr. Trump’s words won’t enhance U.S. deterrence.
Taiwan is increasing its defense spending and has extended conscription, albeit modestly. Yet Beijing has been mounting the largest military buildup since World War II, which the U.S. hasn’t countered with its own rearmament. Taiwan would struggle to defend itself alone from an amphibious assault or blockade even with heroic military effort.
But since Mr. Trump is wondering why the U.S. would bother with Taiwan, we’ll explain, and the answer isn’t only semiconductors. The fall of Taiwan to the Communist Party would mark the end of America’s Pacific alliance system, which has produced 80 years of mostly peace.
Beijing is also provoking a fight in the South China Sea with the Philippines, which the U.S. is bound by treaty to defend.
.Here are the top political news stories for today.
Trump in no way said or implied that we would not defend Taiwan. Every word he says is twisted by so-called "journalists", including at this paper. Stop being so weak-kneed and afraid of your own shadow and support the man. If he doesn't win this country is in big trouble.
@ParliamentDanDemocrat2yrs2Y
I don't think that Biden, Trump, or any president can know what to do about Taiwan if it is invaded by China unless and until it happens.
We cannot know in advance what form the aggression would take, whether Taiwan would resist it, whether our military will assure the president that we have a high probability of defeating it if we decide to intervene, whether our economy and people can survive the curtailment of trade with China, whether the Chinese threaten an intercontinental missile war if we intervene, or whether the bulk of the world will support Taiwan, China, or remain noncommitted.
These things cannot be decided on a theoretical basis until they become known quantities.
@BoarsTommyConstitution2yrs2Y
In the next five years, China will take Taiwan, and the Russians will take a large chunk of Ukraine. Trump took laundered Russian money and could not say anything, and Vance would play ukelele in Appalachia.
But, yes, we should spend all our time on whether an abortion after 53.577925 days is legal or not.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
Do you believe a country should receive financial compensation from another nation for providing it defense; why or why not?
@9R3Y8XQ2yrs2Y
We do deserve compensation because it’s only right
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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