Taiwan confident US military ties are strong

Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang

Taiwan’s deputy minister of national defense sees no reason to fear US abandonment of Taiwan and points to sustained cooperation 

Taiwan is very much on the US’ radar and remains an important component of Washington’s strategy in the West Pacific, a top defense official said in an interview published yesterday. 

Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang (楊念祖), who recently returned from one of his frequent visits to the US, told Defense News in an interview conducted late last month that while Taiwan does not figure prominently in the US rebalance — commonly referred to as the “pivot” — to Asia, Taipei and Washington have “widely” cooperated over the past two years or so. 

My writeup of Defense News’ interview with Andrew Yang, published today in the Taipei Times, continues here.