US committed to First Island Chain deterrence: MAC

The US remains committed to maintaining deterrence along the First Island Chain, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) said yesterday.

Taiwan remained in close communication with the US, Shen said, adding that messages received by Taipei indicated that maintaining deterrence along the First Island Chain remained a US policy priority.

He made the remarks to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar held in Taipei by National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations on developments in China and the country’s outlook since the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th National Congress in 2022.

Taiwan should closely watch whether US President Donald Trump and his team reiterate that Washington’s Taiwan policy remains unchanged during a second meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Thursday next week, Shen said.

His comments came after former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起) on Thursday said that risks in the Taiwan Strait were rising due to changes in US security commitments to Taiwan, and Beijing’s growing sense of urgency over Taiwan.

The likelihood of Washington announcing new arms sales to Taiwan was “very, very low,” Su said, adding that Beijing would react strongly to such a move before or after the Trump-Xi meeting.

Taiwan should not rely solely on external powers for its security and should consider political measures to reduce cross-strait tensions, Su said.

“I am not as pessimistic as Su Chi,” Shen said.

Asked about Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung’s (林佳龍) statement that Taiwan and the US should “jointly manage China,” Shen said the phrase referred to managing risks rather than China itself.

“Jointly managing China means jointly managing risks. It does not mean managing mainland China,” he said.

Taiwan has the resolve and capabilities to work with Washington to preserve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait by deterring Beijing from using force to alter the “status quo,” Shen said.

Regarding the upcoming fifth plenary session of the CCP’s 20th Central Committee, Shen said that the MAC had prepared for various scenarios and would update its assessment of personnel changes as developments unfold.

“The more important event is next year’s 21st National Congress,” Shen said.

Major personnel decisions, including those concerning Xi’s tenure, could be settled then, Shen added.