US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Visits Taiwan
Surprise trips are all the rage in Washington this month with President Biden unexpectedly appearing in Kyiv on Monday and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase arriving in Taiwan on Friday, 17 February. Despite media attention, details remain scarce as both the US Department of Defense and Taiwanese Ministry of Defense have declined to comment publicly on the visit. Taiwanese defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told the press that he “was not very certain” if the trip will happen just hours before Chase’s arrival while a Pentagon spokesperson stated that:
“We don’t have a comment on specific operations… but I would highlight that our support for, and defense relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China.”
China’s response to the trip was nothing unexpected. When asked about the reports of Chase’s visit on 20 February, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin answered that:
“We are firmly opposed to official interaction and military contact between the US and the Taiwan region. This position is consistent and unequivocal. We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, deliver on US leaders’ commitment of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence’, stop all forms of official interaction and military contact with Taiwan, stop meddling in the Taiwan question, and stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.”
As Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Michael Chase is the highest ranking American defense official tasked with overseeing China issues exclusively. He provides advice on strategy and policy towards China to the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs who reports directly to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Chase’s visit was followed up with the arrival of a US congressional delegation on Sunday including Massachusetts Representative Jake Auchincloss, Texas Representative Tony Gonzales, Illinois Representative Jonathan Jackson and California Representative Ro Khanna. They are expected to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and top Taiwanese businessmen – including those responsible for Taiwanese microchip industry.