U.S. lawmaker in Taiwan stresses deterrence to combat aggression

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) Marilyn Strickland, a member of the United States House Committee on Armed Services, underscored the importance of deterrence in preventing potential Chinese aggression during a meeting with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in Taipei on Tuesday.

Noting that ties between Taiwan and the U.S. have in part "evolved because of potential aggression" from the other side of the Taiwan Strait, Strickland said "we want to deter anything that will come across the strait and create a situation where we have to get involved in a conflict."

"That is not what we want to do," said Strickland, who described deterrence as being about "projecting strength, power and unity."

Democratic countries should "stand together" and continue to promote freedom and democracy, especially with "adversaries" around the world seeking to "destabilize democracy" by spreading disinformation and meddling with elections, she said.

Strickland, who is leading a delegation of Democrats from the House of Representatives that arrived in Taiwan on Sunday and will leave Thursday, did not specify who the adversaries might be.

She was accompanied at the meeting by three other House members, Julia Brownley, Jill Tokuda and Jasmine Crockett, as well as their aides, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Strickland also lauded the shared values and partnership between Taiwan and the U.S., and said members of the delegation were "steadfast and resolute in our support for Taiwan."

In his remarks, Lai reaffirmed his government's commitment to continue bolstering Taiwan's defense capabilities through promoting military reforms and increasing spending.

"Security across the Taiwan Strait is crucial to global stability and prosperity," Lai said. "As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will neither yield nor provoke as we seek to maintain the status quo."

Taiwan also looked forward to collaborating with the U.S. and other partners to promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific in the face of authoritarian expansionism, according to Lai.

The president conveyed similar messages when he met with a delegation from Japan's Diet (parliament) led by House of Representatives member Shigeru Ishiba earlier the same day, emphasizing his adherence to his "four-pillar" plan.

In addition to defense capabilities, the plan also highlights economic security, partnerships with other democracies, and a stable and consistent cross-strait policy.

"We hope to continue strengthening economic and trade exchanges with Japan," Lai said, adding that Taiwan was working to keep its economy more resilient and less dependent on the Chinese market.

By working together, democracies can also "exert a deterrent force" to impede China from making "wrong decisions," he said, likely referring to Beijing's pledges to eventually bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary.

Ishiba, who arrived in Taiwan with a bipartisan delegation of Diet members on Monday for a three-day visit, said Taiwan and Japan should continue their cooperation to strengthen deterrence and promote economic development in the region.

He said the war in Ukraine was protracted because of "insufficient" deterrence mustered by democratic countries against Russia, adding that the urgent task was to prevent Northeast Asia from becoming the next Ukraine.

Also joining Ishiba, who served as Japan's defense minister from 2007 to 2008, were other members of the Diet's House of Representatives -- Seiji Maehara, Gen Nakatani, Akihisa Nagashima, Shu Watanabe and Keiro Kitagami.

All six of them, who have either held top government positions related to defense or served in the prime minister's office, are part of a Diet group focused on Japan's security and foreign affairs."