Testing the Quad’s support for Taiwan
Testing the Quad’s support for
Taiwan
WRITTEN BY HUYNH TAM SANG
21 April 2021
Defending Taiwan now proves to be an obtrusive test for the Quad. But how could the grouping help to defend Taiwan amid China’s growing military pressure? In mounting a campaign on Taiwan vocally and militarily, China is not only pushing the island nation to the brink of war, but also putting the Quad — the United States, Japan, Australia, and India — to the test. How can the Quad navigate the cross-Strait gridlock while staying firmly attached to its principle of preserving peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region?
Washington and Taipei signed a coast guard deal on 25 March to reinforce their maritime cooperation, a move aimed at countering Chinese pressure on Taiwan. The US State Department also urged China “to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken even called Taiwan, a “country”, laying the possibility of fostering stronger US-Taiwan ties. No matter how rhetorical Biden’s recent call for China to “play by the international rules” may seem, refreshing the US’s commitment to Taiwan comes at a time when Washington “has become militarily weaker”.
More importantly, however, only the US has sharpened its verbal criticism of China’s aggression against Taiwan. Although the other three Quad members all have quarrels with China over economic or territorial issues, they are unlikely to challenge China. The Quad appears to be failing to act in concert with Taiwan’s security.
Defending Taiwan is imperative
Why is a plan to deter China’s Taiwan encroachment pressing? The first reason is China’s increasing pressure on the island. A coherent strategy is sorely needed given Chinese leaders’ emphasis on the “inevitable” reunification of Taiwan, not ruling out the use of force.
A Quad-aligned security umbrella with Taiwan’s security as one of the top priorities would also assure Taiwan of the grouping’s commitment to supporting the island. Additionally, the security and defence alignment framework would be a firm signal to Beijing that the Quad is not merely a talking shop, but a mode of security multilateralism in the making.
In November 2020, China’s Ministry of National Defence spokesman warned that China would resort to “a head-on attack” over Taiwan if a “serious situation occurs”. China’s so-called two sessions in March this year also reiterated its firm position on Taiwan: China would by no means compromise on Taiwan and separatist activity is strongly condemned. British historian Niall Ferguson recently recalled that “Beijing is a hedgehog fixated on the big idea of reunification” and the Chinese effort to meet that goal can be read via Beijing’s military expansion closer to the island. In doing so, China seemed to send an implicit message that should major powers fail to keep a watchful eye on Taiwan, they are bound to pay the price for their negligence.
A second reason for the Quad’s timely response to Taiwan’s security is the need to secure the country’s liberal democracy. Since liberal democracy is an important shared value among the Quad countries, upholding the liberal order in the Indo-Pacific should be at the forefront of the grouping’s agenda. Taiwan has long been hailed as a democratic middle power with positive ratings on political progress. Now Taiwan — together with Japan and South Korea — constitutes the trilateral anchor helping to buttress East Asia’s democratic development. If Beijing is able to successfully intimidate Taiwan into submission, the fall of the island’s democracy would amount to the victory of China’s authoritarianism.
Three steps to support Taiwan’s security
The Quad countries should pursue a deterrent approach towards China in the face of Beijing’s growing intrusion into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ). By engaging in the cross-Strait issue, the four democratic powers could showcase their strong commitment towards the free and open Indo-Pacific “anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion”, as stated in the Quad’s latest joint statement.
Given the current lack of a comprehensive approach towards Taiwanese security, the quadrilateral countries must join hands to forge a shared understanding of the China challenge. A united front aimed to deter Beijing’s military actions against Taipei should be based on a concrete strategy. There are three steps the Quad can take to help defend Taiwan against growing military pressure from China.
First, now that digital diplomacy can narrow geographical distances, the Quad countries should facilitate communication and intelligence sharing. By forming a centre oriented towards intelligence collection and sharing on the Taiwan Strait, the Quad countries would be able to ensure that any major change in the regional security environment is probed, which would make it easier to make decisions in a timely manner.
Second, the Quad countries should engage in a meaningful security dialogue with Taiwan. An alignment between the Quad and Taiwan is viable as these countries share the core value of upholding liberal democracy and security in the Indo-Pacific. This is important as Taiwan’s staunch commitment to democratic ideals has made the island a front-line state against China’s authoritarian influence. A Quad-aligned security umbrella with Taiwan’s security as one of the top priorities would also assure Taiwan of the grouping’s commitment to supporting the island. Additionally, the security and defence alignment framework would be a firm signal to Beijing that the Quad is not merely a talking shop, but a mode of security multilateralism in the making.
Third, the Quad countries should be well-prepared for military action should the status quo in the Taiwan Strait become unsustainable. Chinese military pressure is now the most pressing challenge for Taiwan, given the island’s asymmetric military capabilities compared to its stronger neighbour. The Quad should invest more in defence cooperation with Taiwan to showcase their deftness in conducting a joint defence policy when facing the truest threat from the authoritarian power. It is increasingly clear that China does not shy away from intimidating smaller states in the absence of a stronger coalition of responsible major powers. Closer security cooperation between the Quad and Taiwan could constitute a cohesive security network serving to balance against Beijing’s military-force imposition against the island.
Proving the Quad’s toughness
Supporting a liberal democracy like Taiwan, of course, would likely draw Beijing’s ire. However, the favourable aspect of the Quad’s engagement is that China may think twice before launching an attack on Taiwan. To deter Chinese adventurism, the US should embrace multilateralism and work in tandem with its like-minded partners in the Quad framework through a two-pronged approach: diplomacy and military deterrence.
The logic of the Quad’s engagement in deepening ties with Taiwan lies in reframing China’s intimidation of the island as a catastrophic issue that would have an international impact rather than solely on the Taiwan Strait. Defending Taiwan amid China’s aggressive stance, without a doubt, is a demanding and imperative task for the four-power grouping. Whether the Quad can navigate the Taiwan Strait will reveal the degree of consolidation between the four Indo-Pacific powers.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.
Author biography
Huynh Tam Sang is a Lecturer of the Faculty of International Relations and Research Fellow of Center for International Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City. Image credit: Wikipedia.