Director of the American Institute in Taiwan. Director of the American Institute in Taiwan Raymond Greene attends a press conference in Taipei on September 4, 2024. WALID BERRAZEG/AFP via Getty Images
A United States envoy in Taiwan said Washington will turn its attention to the self-ruled island, which is threatened by China, should the three-year-long Russia-Ukraine war end.
Newsweek has emailed both the Chinese and Taiwanese foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
The Chinese communist government has claimed that Taiwan is its territory despite never having ruled the island, warning that it "reserves all options," including the use of force.
While the U.S. does not have an official relationship with Taiwan, it is required by law to provide the island with defensive arms while maintaining its own capability to resist any attempt to resolve differences across the Taiwan Strait by other than peaceful means.
However, President Donald Trump has declined to answer whether America will defend Taiwan from a potential Chinese invasion. His nominee for under secretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby, suggested the island should spend more on defense.
What To Know
"If the war in Ukraine ends, we should be able to shift our focus back to Taiwan's defense needs," Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said in an interview with Taiwan's newspaper Liberty Times, which was published on Monday.
The AIT is the de facto U.S. Embassy in Taiwan. Greene, who assumed his duties as the AIT director in July 2024, is the most senior American official on the island. Prior to this assignment, he served as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Japan.
Greene was answering whether the U.S. will speed up its weapons shipments to Taiwan after the situation in Ukraine stabilizes. He denied that the delivery of U.S. weapons sales has been pushed back and is worth over $20 billion, saying the figure "is probably incorrect."
Taiwan has purchased a wide range of military equipment from the U.S., including tanks and fighter jets. It has also domestically developed weapons to deter a Chinese attack.
The U.S. envoy listed several reasons for the delay of arms sales, which included conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as "many countries" in the Indo-Pacific region increasing their spending on American weapons as China became increasingly aggressive.
Regarding the U.S. commitment to the security of Taiwan, Greene said Washington aims to make the island "stronger, more secure, and more prosperous." He suggested that the U.S. should redouble its efforts to assist Taiwan in acquiring the ability of self-defense.
Avoiding conflicts and maintaining peace and stability between Taiwan and China is one of Trump's priority goals, he said. "We will not abandon such a commitment [to Taiwan]."
What People Are Saying
Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), told Taiwan's newspaper Liberty Times in an interview: "Taiwan is of course our top priority, so we are also working hard to speed up delivery schedules, especially in terms of equipment related to asymmetric warfare, because this has a greater impact on Taiwan."
Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference on Monday: "We stand ready to work with the greatest sincerity and exert utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification. Meanwhile, China will take all necessary measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly oppose 'Taiwan independence' separatism and external interference."
What Happens Next
The negotiations in ending the Russia-Ukraine war are being closely watched by Taiwan and China. It remains to be seen how Trump's transactional mindset toward talks to make deals will have any impact on the relations between Washington, Taipei, and Beijing.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 4:50 AM.