US warns China against any attempt to take Taiwan by force
Tsai Ing-wen and Xi Jinping
The United Statesnational security adviser onon Wednesday cautioned Chinaagainst any attempt to take Taiwan by force.
At an event at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas,Robert O'Brien said that China was engaged in a massive naval buildup probably not seen since Germany's attempt to compete with Britain's Royal Navy prior to World War One.
But he reminded China that the United States is required by law to provideTaiwanwith the means to defend itself and pointed out any attempt an ''amphibious landing'' would be problematic due toto the 100-mile (160-km) distance between the countries.
The statement is crucial because the United States has nevermade clear whether it would intervene to protectTaiwan, which China considers its province and has vowed to bring under its control, by force if necessary.
O'Brien's comments come at a time when China has significantly stepped up military activity nearTaiwanand when US-China relations have plunged to the lowest point in decades in the run-up to President Donald Trump's November3 re-election bid.
O'Brien repeated UScalls forTaiwanto spend more on its own defense and to carry out military reforms to make clear to China the risks of attempting to invade.
"You can't just spend 1 per centof your GDP, which theTaiwanese have been doing,1.2per cent, on defense, and hope to deter a China that's been engaged in the most massive military build up in 70 years," he said.
Taiwanneeded to "turn themselves into a porcupine" militarily, he said, adding: "Lions generally don't like to eat porcupines."
On Tuesday, the senior USdefense official for East Asia calledTaiwan's plan to boost defense spending by $1.4 billion next year insufficient.
He said it needed to invest in capabilities including more coastal defense cruise missiles, naval mines, fast-attack craft, mobile artillery and advanced surveillance assets.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry, in a response provided to Reuters, said they will "strive for an adequate budget" in accordance with their needs to build a solid national defense force.