Taiwan’s Navy Chief, Tang Hua, will be visiting the USA next week to attend a military ceremony and discuss boosting bilateral naval cooperation.
While there have been no comments by Taiwan’s Navy or the Pentagon, six security sources briefed on the trip have stated that Tang will be visiting Hawaii, location of the US’ Indo-Pacific Command for a Pacific Fleet change-of-command ceremony.
Three of them have said that Tang would be attending the Sea-Air-Space conference near Washington (April 8-10) and that talks are underway for him to meet the US Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti.
These happenings are situated within the context of China heightening threat towards Taiwan. The cordial relationship between the US and Taiwan, while unofficial due to the former formally recognizing China and not the island state, has been an unpleasant development for China, which has been increasing military pressure around and over the Taiwan Strait median line.
USA-Taiwan Relations
This visit is significant in that US-Taiwan meetings are relatively discreet due to the unofficial nature of their relations. Since the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations held in 1979, there have been no formal diplomatic or military ties between the US and Taiwan, although the former does provide the latter with means to defend itself, obligated by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
This visit can be considered a part of the US’ strategy of using the first island chain (Kuril Islands, Japan, Taiwan, Northern Philippines and Borneo) as an effective point to help implement their National Defence Strategy.
Taiwan and the US have expanded their military cooperation since Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016.
Before that, in 2015, the then-Navy Chief Lee His-ming and, in 2023, the Deputy Defence Minister Hsu Yen-pu made trips to the US, the latter being an attendee of a US-Taiwan defence industry conference in Virginia. According to Taiwanese media, Taiwan’s Foreign minister and the head of the National Security Council attended a security talk in the US last year.
Broader Context of Chinese Threat
These meetings are highly imperative due to China’s threat over Taiwan, which has increased significantly in the last four years. China-Taiwan relations have historically been tense due to China’s view of Taiwan as a breakaway province from the Chinese Civil War.
Taiwan functions as a self-governing state and rejects China’s claims. This tension is being actively fuelled due to increasing military pressure by China near Taiwan and Taiwan’s steps towards international recognition as an independent entity.
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