The Current State of U.S.-Taiwan Security Relations

It has become increasingly apparent that Pentagon budget cuts will have a profound and harmful effect on the current administration’s "rebalance to Asia." With fewer resources, how will America provide security assurances and defensive arms to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act?

Budget cuts are not the only threat facing America's security commitments. The military build-up of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) along the Taiwan Strait also calls into question the future of the security relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan. In light of a stronger and more bellicose PRC military, deterring or preventing cross-strait miscalculation has become an important issue for both the Taiwanese and American governments. With the PRC’s territorial disputes already testing the U.S. commitment to the region, what is the current status of U.S.-Taiwan security relations?

On Thursday, May 22nd, Hudson Institute hosted a panel of experts, featuring Michael Pillsbury, Mark Stokes, and Michael Auslin, to discuss the current status of U.S.-Taiwan relations and what the U.S. should be doing to ensure Taiwan's security. Hudson Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for American Seapower, Seth Cropsey, moderated the discussion.