TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Retired American four-star General Jack Keane in a recent interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade called for the U.S. government to declare that it would defend Taiwan with its allies after Chinese President Xi Jinping told his country’s military to prepare for war.
Xi gave his ominous speech during a recent visit to a Chinese Marine Corps base as tensions between the U.S. and China continue to run high, according to a Chinese state-run media outlet.
When asked by Kilmeade why Xi would make that kind of statement, Keane said, “Frankly, we tell our troops the same thing: to prepare for war. But there is a difference: we are not gonna start a war. We tell our troops to prepare for war so we can deter wars.”
Keane, who is also a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, continued, “What Xi is talking about is possibly on the agenda, an invasion or blockade or an attack of Taiwan, and to solidify that country and make it a part of China.”
Describing Taiwan as “a flourishing democracy,” Keane said the United States has been providing Taiwan a significant amount of weaponry under the Taiwan Relations Act, which Jimmy Carter signed in 1979. However, the former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army called for more than just providing arms to Taiwan.
“What’s ambiguous is whether we will defend Taiwan or not. I believe, this administration has been the strongest supporter of Taiwan since the enactment of that treaty. I also believe that we should take away the ambiguity and declare that we would defend Taiwan with our allies and create a bona fide deterrent,” he said.
“What we want to do is prevent wars by our willingness to go to war, and that has been a proven principle that we used, Brian, for dealing with the Soviet Union for 40 years.”
Kilmeade said that the U.S. is amping up its assistance to Taiwan by selling “more sophisticated weapons and bringing more diplomats over there."
“We are not taking a backward step because after Hong Kong, obviously, Taiwanese were very worried of what would happen to them as the world really did nothing," the TV host added.
Please click the link here to view the full interview.