U.S. remains committed to first island chain deterrence: MAC official

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) The United States remains committed to maintaining deterrence along the first island chain, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) said Friday.

Shen said Taiwan remained in close communication with the U.S. and that messages received by Taipei indicated that maintaining deterrence along the first island chain remained a U.S. policy priority.

He made the remarks to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar held in Taipei by National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations on developments in China and the country's outlook since the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) 20th National Congress in 2022.

Shen said Taiwan should closely watch whether U.S. President Donald Trump and his team reiterate that Washington's Taiwan policy remains unchanged during a second meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Sept. 24.

His comments came after former National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起) warned Thursday that risks in the Taiwan Strait were rising due to changes in U.S. security commitments to Taiwan and Beijing's growing sense of urgency over Taiwan.

Su said the likelihood of Washington announcing new arms sales to Taiwan was "very, very low," arguing that Beijing would react strongly to such a move before or after the Trump-Xi meeting.

Taiwan should not rely solely on external powers for its security and should consider political measures to reduce cross-strait tensions, Su said.

"I am not as pessimistic as Su Chi," Shen said.

Asked about Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's (林佳龍) statement that Taiwan and the U.S. should "jointly manage China," Shen said the phrase referred to managing risks rather than China itself.

"Jointly managing China means jointly managing risks. It does not mean managing mainland China," he said.

Taiwan has the resolve and capabilities to work with Washington to preserve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait by deterring Beijing from using force to alter the status quo, Shen said.

Regarding the upcoming fifth plenary session of the CCP's 20th Central Committee, Shen said the MAC had prepared for various scenarios and would update its assessment of personnel changes as developments unfolded.

"The more important event is next year's 21st National Congress," Shen said, adding that major personnel decisions, including those concerning Xi's tenure, could be settled there.