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U.S. to continue deterring China from invading Taiwan: Pentagon official

ROC Central News Agency

03/03/2023 12:30 PM

Washington, March 2 (CNA) Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said Thursday that Washington would continue to strengthen its ability to deter China from invading Taiwan before the end of the decade.

"I think it's doable. It's going to be really hard, but I think we're getting after it with urgency but also with confidence that we can do it," Ratner said during a discussion on Indo-Pacific security hosted by the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

According to Ratner, the high cost of a Taiwan invasion will simply dissuade China.

"What we're doing is reinforcing that deterrence, ensuring that the costs of aggression remain unacceptably high to Beijing," he said.

Speaking about the Indo-Pacific and China's military buildup in recent years, Ratner said the latter "is the only country with the capability and intent to overthrow the international order," and in a way that " runs directly counter to vital U.S. national interests."

"We see that manifested in a challenge to the order in the Indo-Pacific, the rules of the road, the institutions, the norms, the efforts to undermine U.S. alliances and partnerships," he explained.

He was talking about the instances of unsafe and dangerous interceptions carried out by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) against the U.S., its allies and partners as they engage in lawful activity in the region's international airspace.

He mentioned an Australian P-8 aircraft that ingested the chaff released by an intercepting PLA plane as the former was operating in the South China Sea last June.

"Then, of course, you heard from Indo Paycom in December of a similar event of a PLA navy aircraft coming within 20 feet of a U.S. aircraft," he added.

Ratner said the U.S. was working on strengthening its capabilities, but also with its allies and partners to ensure that that kind of coercion and aggression does not succeed.

"Deterrence is real, deterrence is strong, and we're doing everything we can to make sure it stays that way tomorrow and into the future," he explained.

The discussion was also joined that day by Lindsey Ford, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair, and Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow and director of Keystone Defense Initiative.

(By Chiang Chin-yeh and Ko Lin)

Enditem/ASG