Washington (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The United States asked Australia and Japan to clarify their stances in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan, a move that has frustrated its two most important partners Indo-Pacific, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
According to the newspaper, five people familiar with the matter disclosed that Elbridge Colby, the US Under-Secretary of Defence for Policy, has recently been advocating the issue in discussions with Japanese and Australian defence officials. His recent push aims to persuade US allies in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen deterrence and get ready for a possible war over Taiwan.
Why is the us pressing allies over the Taiwan conflict?
Even though there are no formal diplomatic ties between the United States and Taiwan, the United States remains Taiwan’s most critical arms supplier. This sourcing is critical because Taiwan faces increased military pressures from China, which routinely conducts wartime exercises and war games adjacent to Taiwan as a means of asserting its own sovereignty over the island.
The United States anticipates making increased arms sales to Taiwan to levels exceeding those of President Trump’s first term, which were aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s military deterrence to counter rising threats from China. The arms sales during the Trump administration were around $18.3 billion; under the Biden administration, arms sales to Taiwan are around $84 billion, and going up.
What role does Colby play in the US defence strategy?
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Colby served as the deputy assistant secretary of defence for strategy and force development. He is recognised for advocating that the U.S. military should focus more on competing with China, rather than prioritising the Middle East and Europe.
Colby’s push comes after other actions that caused concern. Last month, it was reported that he was examining the Aukus security agreement, which will allow Canberra to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Colby has also urged European militaries to shift their focus away from the Indo-Pacific and concentrate more on the Euro-Atlantic region. Recently, Japan cancelled a high-profile ministerial meeting with the US after Colby unexpectedly increased the US’s defence spending request. The Pentagon recently had to defend Colby following reports that he was responsible for blocking weapons shipments to Ukraine, a decision that was soon reversed by the president.
