U.S. Congressman Urges Prioritizing Taiwan Arms Deliveries by Need
The United States should prioritize arms deliveries to Taiwan based on risk and need rather than purchase order, U.S. House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Rob Wittman (R-VA) said on September 4. Speaking at a Hudson Institute seminar titled The Digital Front Line: Building a Cyber-Resilient Taiwan, Wittman warned that late shipments would be meaningless if China acted.
Offense as Deterrence: Congressman Wittman argued that the “best chance to deter China” is to ensure Beijing understands the retaliation it would face if it acted. He stressed that the best deterrence does not necessarily come from defense alone, but also from good offense. “We do not want conflict . . . but weakness invites conflict, while strength deters it,” he added.
Timely Deliveries and Technology Transfer: Regarding delays in U.S. arms deliveries to Taiwan, Wittman urged the Pentagon to prioritize shipments based on risk and need. Delivering weapons after China acts against Taiwan “would be meaningless,” he said, adding that timely deliveries are critical to deterrence. He also called on Washington to accelerate technology transfers so Taiwan can produce consumables and simple equipment domestically.
Importance of Cybersecurity and Software: Wittman cautioned that any conflict in the Taiwan Strait would likely begin in cyberspace, underscoring the importance of cyber deterrence. He expressed confidence that the United States and Taiwan would build a strong partnership in this domain.
He emphasized that U.S.–Taiwan cooperation involves not only hardware and systems, but even more critically, software. Wittman noted that software enabling real-time integration of data into Taiwan’s systems would both strengthen deterrence against China and enhance U.S. situational awareness.
Sources:
[1] Hudson Institute
[2] Taipei Times
U.S. Scholars: PRC Touts “Alternative Global Order” at WWII Parade
China’s large-scale military parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3 — attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — was aimed at promoting an “alternative global order” to challenge U.S. dominance, U.S. scholars told CNA.
China’s Rising Message: Richard Bush, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan, said Beijing sought to signal that China “is getting stronger and stronger.” He added that China seeks to present itself as “a firm pole of the emerging international system, replacing the U.S.,” while portraying Washington as inconsistent in its priorities.
Advancing an Alternative Order: Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific Program, noted that beyond showcasing military power, Beijing sought to advance its Global Governance Initiative as part of its vision for an alternative global order.
She added that the parade, held in Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Sino-Japanese War, reinforced Beijing’s wartime narrative — highlighting the roles of China and the Soviet Union in defeating fascism while downplaying other Allies’ contributions — and invoked the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations to bolster its claims over Taiwan.
Xi’s CCP Victory Claim: At the parade, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that victory over Japan was achieved through a national united front led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to Xinhua News Agency.
Taiwan Pushes Back: Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Xi’s claim as a “falsehood that deviated from the facts.” The ministry stressed that the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations did not affirm the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) sovereignty over Taiwan, as the PRC did not even exist during World War II. It added that the PRC neither participated in the war against Japan nor had legitimacy to claim a role in shaping the post-war order.
