TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is playing a crucial role as strategic rivalry between the US and China dominates global politics, Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow for Asia Steve Yates said Friday.
He was speaking at the seminar “From Balancing to Coalition-Building: The US, Taiwan, and Asia’s Grand Reshuffling” hosted by Harvard Kennedy School. The former deputy national security adviser emphasized Taiwan’s role based on its geopolitical location, key position in global semiconductor supply chains, and status as a resilient democracy, per CNA.
China is the only country in the region systematically continuing to alter the status quo, Yates said. The country has raised tensions through its actions in the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea, while also using economic threats and disinformation, he explained.
Yates named Taiwan as an indispensable partner because of its technological advantages and its freedom and democracy. The US can only safeguard regional peace if it keeps strengthening security and economic cooperation with Taiwan, he added.
