TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The president of the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), Richard Haass, spoke via teleconference at the International Conference on PRC’s Power Shift and Governance, hosted in Taipei on Friday (Oct. 28).

During his remarks, Haass said that China’s threatening behavior and aggression towards Taiwan is unacceptable to Washington and it should make that clear to Beijing, reported CNA. Haass advocates for the U.S. to adopt a new approach of “strategic clarity,” rather than “strategic ambiguity."

However, he added that “strategic clarity” should not be interpreted as unconditional support for Taipei. Taiwan must avoid unilateral provocative behavior that might antagonize China.

While China’s aggressive posture toward Taiwan is unacceptable to the U.S., the CFR president made it clear that Washington still abides by its “one-China” policy. He emphasized the U.S. is opposed to any unilateral action, whether by Beijing or Taipei, which would jeopardize the status-quo and peace in the region.

When taking questions from the audience, Haass said that China is becoming increasingly impatient with regard to the status-quo regarding Taiwan. Also, Xi Jinping (習近平) is likely to turn his attention to Taiwan, especially if there is a serious economic downturn in China over the next few years.

Therefore, Taiwan should invest more resources in its own security and also try to reduce dependency on China’s economy, he said.