TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Senator Pete Ricketts, who chairs the influential Asia-Pacific Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, commended Taiwan's accelerated military preparedness during a high-profile visit Wednesday (June 4). The Republican lawmaker specifically highlighted Taiwan's development of a well-equipped reserve force now armed with rifles and sophisticated night vision technology, noting the island democracy had dramatically transformed its defense readiness posture within just twelve months.
Speaking to attendees at the 2025 AI+Expo technology conference in Taipei, Senator Ricketts characterized recent Chinese military exercises conducted in proximity to Taiwan's territorial waters as "rehearsals for invasion." His assessment came following high-level diplomatic meetings with Taiwan's newly inaugurated President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), where the senator emphasized his firsthand observations of Taiwan's determined efforts to strengthen its defensive capabilities against potential aggression and economic coercion from Beijing.
During his remarks, Ricketts drew attention to Chinese President Xi Jinping's reported instructions for the People's Liberation Army to achieve invasion-ready capability targeting Taiwan by 2027, a goal Xi allegedly frames as a "historical mission" for China. The senator also discussed pending U.S. legislation known as the PORCUPINE Act, a bipartisan initiative designed to expedite American weapons sales to Taiwan by elevating the island's procurement status to "NATO Plus" — a privileged designation currently reserved for closest U.S. defense partners including Japan, South Korea, Australia, Israel and New Zealand.
The senator further urged the Biden administration to accelerate delivery of delayed defense equipment to Taiwan worth between US$21 billion and US$22 billion (approximately NT$630.1 billion and NT$660.1 billion), addressing a significant backlog in previously approved arms transfers. Ricketts conveyed his impression that Taiwanese officials and military leaders had demonstrated an unmistakable resolve to defend their democracy, characterizing this determination as a complete reversal –— "a 180-degree change" — from attitudes he had observed during previous congressional delegations to the island.
The senator's current trip follows his April visit when he led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Taiwan that included Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware and Republican Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina. That earlier diplomatic mission represented Ricketts' inaugural official travel to Taiwan since his appointment as chairman of the Senate's key Asia-Pacific subcommittee, a position that grants him significant influence over U.S. policy toward the increasingly tense Taiwan Strait region. ◼