TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The United States should do more to support Taiwan militarily and politically, former national security adviser John Bolton said in an interview with The Washington Post.
“I think the time for strategic ambiguity on Taiwan is long gone,” Bolton said. He suggested that the US allow Navy ships to dock in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung and deploy more troops to train their Taiwanese counterparts.
Bolton said much more needs to be done “not only to increase Taiwan’s military capabilities, but also to show greater American support.” In the long term, the United States should recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation, she said, adding that she had made the same proposal in 2000.
Bolton also recommended that the US “integrate” Taiwan into more multilateral defense organizations in the Indo-Pacific region, with Japan, South Korea, Australia and others. “The more Taiwan links up with others who care about China’s belligerence, the better the chances we can deter any Chinese threat to Taiwan,” she said.
The former US official said he believes the recent decision to send 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan “was the right decision.” However, there is much more Washington can do, given China’s hostile rhetoric and military buildup, he said.
Additionally, Bolton said there is public support among Americans for defending Taiwan from a Chinese attack.
“If you explain to the American people the threats we face, the threats our allies face, the threats they pose to the way we live here at home and that action must be taken, not out of acts of charity or humanitarianism, but out of cold . , strong American national security interest, I think the American people will respond to it,” he said.
Bolton added that US leaders have been unwilling to discuss “reality and the outside world with people,” leading the public to deny that threats exist. He urged politicians to “pick up your socks here and be clearer with the American people.”
As of September 22, 2022, there were about 39 soldiers and Defense Department personnel stationed in Taiwan, according to the latest DMDC report. Over the years, the number of US troops in Taiwan has fluctuated, but usually number a dozen or so.