Chinese aggression brings Taiwan closer to U.S.: Former U.S. Secretary of State
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday urged Washington and Taipei to boost security and economic ties amid China’s increasing aggression that has been the key driver to bringing Taiwan closer to the United States.
Pompeo said at a global business forum in the southern port city of Kaohsiung that it is undeniable that “China’s aggressive conduct, diplomatically, militarily, economically…have changed this region. And it brought those who prefer peace and commerce even more closely together.”
Pompeo’s visit is his second to Taiwan for the year, following one in March, and comes ahead of next month’s once-in-five-years congress of the ruling Communist Party, where Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to secure his third five-year term.
Facing the risks posed by China, Pompeo said Taiwan’s neighbors have begun to rethink their relationships and practices.
“If we want a free 21st century, and not the Chinese century, the century which Xi Jinping dreams of, the old paradigm of blind engagement must end,” said Pompeo, who advocated a tougher stance against China when he was in office.
The United States must instead engage with China “realistically and on our terms,” which would include a “far more enthusiastic relationship with Taiwan,” he said.
Pompeo also called on Washington to take steps to do what is right, namely to officially recognize Taiwan as a free and sovereign country.
He said the reality is that Taiwan “does not need to declare its independence” as it is already an independent nation.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin took a swipe at Pompeo’s latest remarks, describing him as “a former politician with failed credibility,” and saying he “did such despicable moves only to exploit personal political gains.”
Wang added that Pompeo “will not succeed at all.”
Not long after the former secretary of state left office at the end of the Donald Trump presidency in January last year, Beijing placed sanctions on him and other former U.S. officials for their “anti-China” remarks.
His Taiwan trip in March this year came amid mounting fears that China might attempt to seize Taiwan, the self-ruled, democratic island, following the lead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Pompeo’s visit this time came in the wake of heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait, with China conducting large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile trip in early August.
Taiwan and China have been governed separately since they split in 1949 due to a civil war. Beijing regards the island as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.