As Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen prepares to meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week, the head of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council has criticized Washington for not doing enough to meet the self-ruled island’s security needs, putting Taipei in a “quandary” over the type of weapons required for its defense.
“U.S. war fighters, government officials and members of Congress on both sides of the political spectrum have all expressed a sense of urgency about China’s intentions toward Taiwan,” Rupert Hammond-Chambers said in a recent interview.
“But that urgency is not bridging the gap into an all-of-government response,” he said, criticizing the White House for failing to ensure that the most significant Taiwan-related military aid provisions in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) are “appropriately funded.”