A Chinese Takeover Of Taiwan Would Prompt Different U.S. Response:

A Chinese Takeover of Taiwan Would Prompt Different Pentagon Response, Top Indo-Pacific Official Says

John Grady

The Pentagon’s senior civilian for the Indo-Pacific testified Wednesday that the United States’ response to the Chinese aggressively moving to take over Taiwan would be different from Washington’s reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ely Ratner, assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said when China is the “pacing competitor” in the region, “Taiwan is the pacing scenario.” Without going into details in an open hearing, he pointed to a number of security agreements between Taipei and Washington that differ from arrangements between the United States, NATO and Ukraine.

Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, termed the Russian invasion “a real wake-up call.” He added the United States and its allies and partners “have to look at it and say this can happen here.”

“U.S. policies [toward Taiwan] have not changed,” Ratner said.

Among those policies is assisting Taipei in “developing its own capabilities” to defend itself and sale of arms from advanced aircraft to enhance maritime security. Ratner also noted that United States helping to bring together the NATO and European Union’s response to the Russian invasion and willingness to impose severe economic sanctions on Moscow should be additional signals to China of what might happen if Beijing pursued a similar course.

In his opening statement, Aquilino said China is running “a dedicated campaign … to uproot the rules-based order” that has existed in the Indo-Pacific since the end of World War II.

China is not just an immediate threat with its expressed ambitions to bring Taiwan under its control, but is continuing the “largest military build-up since World War II … across all domains,” Aquilino said. Its fleet is projected to number 460 surface warships and submarines by the end of the decade.

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