TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, reaffirmed US support for Taiwan during his senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

When asked if the US would come to Taiwan’s defense if China attacked, Hegseth said the US' long-standing commitments to Taiwan are outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act, the three US-China joint communiques, and the Six Assurances, per Voice of America. The political commentator said he would engage with Trump and other national security officials to review US policy before determining a course of action.

The US can help prevent miscalculation by maintaining its long-standing policy of supporting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Hegseth said. He pledged to review existing classified and unclassified materials before making recommendations to the president, if confirmed.

Hegseth also said China poses the most serious challenge to US national security. In response, he promised to strengthen the US’ force posture in the Indo-Pacific to deter the Chinese Communist Party's aggressive actions.

In November, he said Taiwan would need “well-trained troops prepared in key spots to fortify places and make the pain so high for Beijing that they have to take another calculation” if China invaded.  

Hegseth works at Fox News and previously enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard. He has a master of public policy from Harvard University.