In what would represent a complete reversal of current U.S. foreign policy, a surging contender for the 2024 Republican nomination Vivek Ramaswamy says he would abandon the U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to Taiwan.
For more than four decades American diplomats and presidents have walked a balancing act when it comes to the Pacific island nation, where a democratically elected government oversees the mass of the world’s semiconductor production, despite assertions by the authoritarian Chinese government that the territory belongs under the control of Beijing.
Ramaswamy, in a letter responding to a Wall Street Journal op-ed on his foreign policy positions, said Tuesday the longstanding policy would end in his White House.
“No other presidential candidate is willing to commit to militarily defending Taiwan, and in December 2016, President Trump was roundly derided for violating diplomatic protocol for the high offense of answering a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan’s president. By contrast, I favor strategic clarity: Defend Taiwan vigorously until the U.S. achieves semiconductor independence, then resume the posture of strategic ambiguity when the stakes are lower for the U.S.,” the candidate wrote.
Under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. government does not maintain any defense treaty with the Taiwanese government, but does sell them military equipment. The idea is to leave the Chinese Communist Party guessing on whether Washington would commit to defending the island nation in the event of a Chinese invasion and therefore avoiding outright conflict.
“The American way of life depends on leading-edge semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan, and we can’t risk China gaining near-total leverage over the entire U.S. economy,” Ramaswamy wrote. “By saying that we will defend Taiwan, the U.S. can strongly deter China from blockading or invading the island in the near term.”
Last year President Joe Biden made international waves when he said the U.S. would defend Taiwan against Chinese attack. Biden later clarified that the strategic ambiguity policy remains firmly in place.
Ramaswamy’s stance may represent a substantial shift in U.S. diplomacy, but it is inaccurate for the candidate to say he is the first Republican to declare they would ramp up the heat in the Pacific.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s campaign, in announcing her foreign policy plan, said that she would “arm Taiwan with what it needs to defend itself while making sure American naval presence in the Taiwan Strait remains strong.”
Of Ramaswamy’s ideas, Haley said earlier this week that “he wants to feed Taiwan to China.”