Donald Trump’s former national security adviser has called for closer ties with Taiwan

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Former US national security adviser John Bolton delivers a speech at the Global Taiwan National Affair Symposium XII in Taipei, Taiwan on April 29, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP

A former US national security adviser called for deeper ties between his country and Taiwan during a visit Saturday to the self-ruled island, which has seen increased military threats from China.

John Bolton, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, told a pro-Taiwan independence event in Taipei that national security teams from both sides should develop contingency plans for how to respond to actions that Beijing may do so, warning that it will be too late once an attack occurs.

And we need to tell China and Russia what the consequences are if they take actions against Taiwan. Not just in the immediate response, but in the longer term, basically expelling China from the international economic system if it takes military actions against Taiwan or tries to throw a blockade around it,” Bolton said.

Bolton, former President Donald Trump’s hawkish national security adviser, began a weeklong trip to Taiwan on Wednesday. The visit reflects the importance of the island’s democracy as an issue in next year’s US presidential election amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Taiwan and China separated in 1949 following a civil war that ended the Communist Party’s control of the mainland. The island has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but Beijing says it should be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.

The US remains Taiwan’s closest military and political ally, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between them. US law requires Washington to treat all threats to the island as matters of grave concern, although it remains unclear whether American forces will be sent to help defend the island.

Bolton said the backlog of US military sales to Taiwan is estimated at $19 billion and needs to be resolved.

Part of this is a US problem. Our industrial defense base is not as strong as it used to be. We need to improve that for global reasons, but particularly for Taiwan, he said.

On Friday, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said the Chinese military had flown 38 fighter jets and other warplanes near Taiwan. It was the biggest demonstration of the flight since a major military exercise in which it simulated sealing off the island after a sensitive April 5 meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. China opposes any exchange at the official level between Taiwan and other governments.

Later on Friday, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army also issued a protest over the flight of the United States Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft in the Taiwan Strait, calling it a provocation openly encouraged by the US.” But the US 7th Fleet said it Thursday’s flight was in accordance with international law and demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Bolton is scheduled to attend a banquet on Monday organized by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs, a pro-independence organization headquartered in Washington, DC Tsai will also attend the event.

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