TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s commitment to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait contributes to US efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz, representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) said on Friday.
“In that case, for example, the U.S. analyzes that the area is safer so they can concentrate on other things,” he said during the inaugural Miami Security Forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation, per The Hill. Approximately one-fifth of global trade passes through the strait.
Yui said that the war in Iran has triggered an energy crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring Taiwan’s vulnerability. “We will be trying to diversify our source of where we get our energy, again part of the resiliency issue,” he said, adding that Taiwan plans to increase natural gas imports from the US.
Despite reports from US intelligence agencies that Beijing is not planning a military invasion of Taiwan in 2027, Yui said this does not mean China has stopped efforts to bolster its offensive capabilities. “The threat is active. It’s real. And Taiwan will do all it can to have the best deterrence possible,” the representative said.
Yui said he could not predict whether the White House’s proposed US$200 billion (NT$6.4 trillion) in additional funding for the war in Iran would affect arms deliveries to Taiwan. “Whatever has been ordered and purchased, the delivery dates are being planned to be delivered as timely as possible,” he said.
The representative accompanied Deputy Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) to tour Lockheed Martin’s factory in South Carolina last Monday to see the first of 66 F-16Vs produced for Taiwan. It will be delivered later this year.
