Taiwan is facing growing military and political pressure from Beijing. Most recently, China made mass air force incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. MLI Senior Fellow J. Michael Cole spoke with CNN about the escalatory actions from China, and what Taiwan’s perspective is given the deteriorating state of Cross Strait relations.
According to Cole, the Taiwanese people have grown somewhat accustomed to “this kind of signaling and belligerence coming from Beijing. It has come in waves over the years.”
“There is an awakening, certainly in Washington D.C… that no matter what we give Beijing, it will never be enough for them. So we’re entering a new phase where countries are deciding to engage Taiwan, to defend a democracy, to help defend a frontline state in a growing war of ideologies.”
According to Cole, bolstering deterrence against China is absolutely essential to prevent the regime from acting militarily against Taiwan and ultimately drawing the region into a broader conflict.
