Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution stated that the next administration should frame the U.S. relationship with Taiwan around positive goals rather than China-related challenges. Hass shared his statement in a September 2 opinion piece in the Taipei Times.
"It would be a bad bet for Taipei to hang its strategy of aligning with the United States on a notion of shared opposition to an emerging axis of the aggrieved," said Hass. "In addition to latching on to a concept that has an uncertain shelf life, such an approach also would organize US-Taiwan relations around what both sides are against as opposed to what they are for. A shared affirmative vision of what the United States and Taiwan stand for would provide a much stronger foundation for developing the relationship. This would position Taiwan not as a US-China issue, but rather as a partner of the United States in advancing core priorities."
Hass emphasized in the commentary that it is important for Taiwan’s Lai administration and America’s next executive administration to "get on the same page quickly and visibly in respective efforts to bolster Taiwan’s security, economic vitality, and dignity and respect on the world stage." He noted there is significant speculation on what the U.S.’s future stance on Taiwan will be moving forward.
Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution
| brookings.edu
According to the U.S. State Department, the U.S. has a "robust unofficial relationship" with Taiwan. In the 1979 US-PRC Joint Communique, the U.S. recognized the Government of the People’s Republic of China as being the "sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is one China and Taiwan is part of China."
AP News reported that an $8 billion defense package was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives over the weekend. Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te said in April that this package will "strengthen deterrence against authoritarianism in the West Pacific ally chain." The package covers parts and services aimed at maintaining and upgrading Taiwan’s military hardware.
Hass is Director of the John L. Thornton China Center and a Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution, according to Brookings. His research focuses on policy development concerning political, economic, and security challenges facing the U.S. in East Asia. From 2013-2017, he served as director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia on National Security Council (NSC) staff, where he advised President Barack Obama and senior White House officials on U.S. policy toward this region.
