Experts urge US to use Taiwan logistics pact to counter China's military coercion

 

WASHINGTON — A newly released U.S. government report underscores China's persistent efforts to undermine long-established norms surrounding Taiwan, employing various tactics, including an increase in military flights across the Taiwan Strait’s median line. While U.S. officials have raised significant concerns, military experts argue that Washington's response has been largely ineffective in deterring Chinese aggression.

To strengthen deterrence, some former U.S. military leaders suggest using the U.S.-Taiwan Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) to allow American military jets to refuel in Taiwan, signaling U.S. resolve. The ACSA, a seldom-discussed logistics agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan, facilitates the exchange of supplies, services, and logistical support between the U.S. Department of Defense and its allies.

The Pentagon's 2024 report, Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China, reveals that China is continuing its military expansion to assert territorial claims and safeguard national interests. It highlights the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) focus on preparing for military actions in the Taiwan Strait while seeking to hinder third-party intervention. The report also describes PLA exercises across land, air, and sea around Taiwan throughout 2023, aimed at improving combat readiness and coordination. In 2022 and 2023, over 1,500 PLA aircraft entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone.

U.S. defense engagement with Taiwan has adjusted in response to China’s growing military capabilities and its increasing use of coercion against Taiwan. However, Chinese officials continue to reject foreign intervention, emphasizing Taiwan as part of China’s internal affairs. Following President Joe Biden’s recent authorization of up to $571 million in U.S. military aid to Taiwan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned that Washington was "playing with fire" and would "get burned."

Although the People's Republic of China has never governed Taiwan, it claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under control. The U.S. adheres to a policy of strategic ambiguity, neither officially recognizing Taiwan’s sovereignty nor supporting its independence.

A State Department spokesperson reaffirmed U.S. concerns about heightened PLA activity near Taiwan, which mirrors the intensity observed during the PLA’s “Joint Sword” exercises. This follows December’s naval drills by the PLA along Taiwan’s periphery.

Trey Meeks, a senior defense fellow at the Center for a New American Security, argues that low-cost strategies could help bolster Taiwan’s morale and demonstrate U.S. resolve in the face of China's escalating military pressure. Meeks suggests that in response to Chinese military incursions, the U.S. could deploy fighter jets to refuel in Taiwan under the ACSA or send a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to the region, signaling readiness for further naval presence if necessary.

This is not without precedent; in June 2021, a U.S. military aircraft delivered COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, and in February 2023, South Korea’s "Black Eagles" aerobatic team made a refueling stop in Taiwan on their way to an air show in Australia.

For Taiwan, countermeasures could include intercepting Chinese aircraft incursions with radar missile locks. As Meeks puts it, "The ride stops being fun for the Chinese fighter pilot when you lock him up with a surface-to-air missile."

The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), passed by Congress 45 years ago, remains a cornerstone of U.S. policy. It ensures that Taiwan receives defensive weapons and support. U.S. special operations forces have been operating in Taiwan since 2012, and hundreds of U.S. troops are currently stationed in Taiwan to provide training and advisory support.