Taiwan important to world's security, economy: U.S. senator

Washington, Sept. 6 (CNA) A veteran American senator who recently visited Taiwan has issued a warning to the United States and the world about the consequences they would face if China conquers Taiwan.

"A conquered Taiwan would mean widespread loss of life and liberty for its people. It would also plunge the world into an economic depression and disintegrate the Pacific defenses protecting America from China's military," Senator Roger Wicker said in a weekly report posted online at his website on Friday.

In the weekly report, he detailed reasons why Taiwan matters to the U.S. and the world, including Taipei being the seventh-biggest trading partner of Washington and producing most of the world's semiconductors, making Taiwan a "lynchpin of the world's economy."

"If China seized those semiconductor factories, Xi Jinping could hold the global economy hostage," he writes.

Xi's invasion would also threaten nearby nations, including Japan and South Korea, the U.S.' fifth- and sixth-biggest trading partners, he argued.

"Sixty percent of the world's population lives in the Pacific region. Control of the area by the Chinese communists would imperil our ability to do business with that growing marketplace," he added.

On his recent visit to Taiwan from Aug. 29 to 30, Wicker said he was there in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee to underscore Taiwan's strategic role in U.S. national defense.

Before arriving in Taiwan, Wicker said he had visited several American bases around the Pacific, where he said the U.S.' "network of bases" has made it difficult for America's enemy to reach the western U.S. mainland and created "security assurances" for these host nations.

"If China were to attack Taiwan and the United States failed to defend the island, those nations would likely feel less eager to house American military assets. Ultimately, our forces might have to retreat as far east as Hawaii or Guam, making our homeland more vulnerable," he said.

"A free Taiwan helps reassure the free nations of the Pacific and helps support American defense forces stationed there," he added.

In conclusion, Wicker said he and other American congresspersons will continue to uphold the Taiwan Relations Act, including a section in which Washington agrees to help Taiwan get the defensive materials it needs to remain secure.

"I believe we should continue that legacy," he said.

Wicker visited Taiwan, together with Deb Fischer, as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region.

During their visit, the delegation met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), among others, to underscore the United States' commitment to its partnership with Taiwan, according to a press release issued by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

The August visit marks Wicker's first trip to Taiwan as chairman of the committee. The trip also marks the first visit by a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman since 2016.