TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Ivan Kanapathy, the former deputy senior director for Asian affairs in the Trump administration, White House National Security Council, discussed Taiwan's military defense and the trilateral relations among China, Taiwan, and the U.S. in mid-July.
During an exclusive interview with TVBS commentator Wenchi Yu on July 16, Kanapathy pointed out that Taiwan needs to foster military build-up. He observed that more than 10 years ago, China had been building capabilities faster, tipping the military balance to a point where it might feel more confident about attempting an invasion.
Kanapathy also described some scenarios of China's invasion of Taiwan. Instead of a blockade scenario, he believed Xi Jinping would be very determined and deploy many forces. Kanapathy's assumption is based on his observation of the Taiwanese. He found them to be very resilient, willing to safeguard democracy, and, as a result, won't easily give up without a fight.
Discussing China's grey-zone activities toward Taiwan, such as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) flying bombers around Taiwan, Kanapathy views it as a political message that the Taiwanese have to tackle correctly. At the same time, he does not think it is a military threat.
Kanapathy further shared that if Trump wins the upcoming presidential election, the foreign policy with Taiwan will remain the same as it was during his first term. He stated that Taiwan doesn't have to worry about who's in power in the White House. "I think, largely continuity, there will be little cosmetic changes here and there, as there always are," he said.