Ex-U.S. official 'cautiously optimistic' on U.S.' Indo-Pacific backing

Taipei, April 19 (CNA) A former United States defense official has said that Washington remains committed to upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific region, despite concerns that the commitment has frayed since President Donald Trump returned to office.

Speaking in a pre-recorded video, Randall Schriver told a forum in Taipei that "some early signs can lead us to be cautiously optimistic" about the U.S.' commitment in the Indo-Pacific region, citing recent actions by high-level officials from the Trump administration.

He cited in particular Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's pledges to strengthen U.S. alliances with regional partners during his recent trips to the Philippines and Japan, as well as his first official visit to the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.

Schriver also mentioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio's hosting of a meeting of the Quad with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and India in January to discuss what Schriver believed to be ways to "push back against China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific."

These are, he said, "promising signs" of the U.S.' continued commitment in the Indo-Pacific.

He did, however, express concerns about "the cutting back" of some State Department-supported development programs in Taiwan and across the region as part of Trump's austerity policy.

Schriver, who served as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs from January 2018 to December 2019 under Trump's first term, currently chairs the Project 2049 Institute, a Virginia-based think tank he founded.

He also worked in State Department from 2001 to 2005 under the George W. Bush administration.

Schriver was invited to speak at the meeting of the Taiwan Nation Alliance in Taipei, with late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's widow Akie Abe also invited as a speaker.

To "solidify the relationship" with the U.S. going forward, Schriver said Taiwan would need to continue investing in its defense capabilities by both raising military spending and promoting civil defense.

Taiwan also needs to address its trade surpluses and other trade barriers highlighted by the U.S. "at a time when the administration is scrutinizing every trading partner," he said.