Taiwan’s Former President Says US Should Prioritize Weapons to Ukraine Over Taiwan

Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Saturday that the best way to help Taiwan right now would be to support Ukraine.

“A Ukrainian victory will serve as the most effective deterrent to future aggression globally,”  Tsai said at the Halifax International Security Forum.

Her comments came in response to a statement made Tuesday by US Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Paparo, who told the Brookings Institution think tank that supplying weapons to Ukraine was starting to affect the US military’s ability to prepare for conflict in Asia.

“Up to this year, where most of the employment of weapons were really artillery pieces and short-range weapons, I had said: ‘Not at all,’” Paparo said at the Brookings Institution think tank earlier this week. “But now, with some of the Patriots that have been employed, some of the air-to-air missiles that have been employed, it’s now eating into stocks.”

However, the Tsai said that the best thing the US could do for Taiwan is to prioritize Ukraine aid.

“They should do whatever they can to help the Ukrainians,” Tsai said. “We [Taiwan] still have time.”

Taiwan relies heavily on American weapons and US military support to deter China from a cross-strait attack, and has boosted its defense spending by 80 percent in the past year – to a record $19 billion, although US President-elect Donald Trump said that it isn’t enough.

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