As the world\u2019s attention remains divided on the Israel-Hamas war and Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Foundation visited Taiwan last week seeking to shore up U.S. support for the island that continues to be threatened by Beijing.<\/p>\n
\u2018Taiwanese skepticism about America\u2019s staying power and its ability to deter aggression is on the rise,\u2019 Heino Klinck, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The Biden administration\u2019s precipitous Afghanistan withdrawal, piecemeal material support to Ukraine, inability to provide defense articles in a timely manner, as well as other foreign policy woes are the fodder for Chinese disinformation and propaganda that fuel this skepticism.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
The foundation\u2019s trip recalls two visits President Reagan made while still serving as governor of California, first in 1971 and again in 1978. The delegation included members from the foundation and members of various groups, including former politicians, military experts and members from companies like Google and Citigroup.<\/p>\n
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with the delegation, thanking the group for its \u2018hospitality and considerable support\u2019 when she visited the Reagan Library earlier this year and highlighted the work done to \u2018enhance Taiwan-U.S. relations.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Taiwan and the U.S. share the values of freedom and democracy,\u2019 Tsai said. \u2018Together, we strive for peace and prosperity in the region. \u2026 Our other distinguished guests have continued President Reagan\u2019s legacy and ideals in advocating for individual freedom, economic opportunity and global democracy.\u2019<\/p>\n
Reagan established himself as a \u2018devoted defender\u2019 of Taiwan, often calling for the establishment of \u2018official\u2019 or \u2018government-to-government\u2019 relations, according to an article from The Washington Post written during his first presidential campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I would not pretend, as [President] Carter does, that the relationship we now have with Taiwan, enacted by our Congress, is not official,\u2019 Reagan said regarding the difference between him and the man he would eventually defeat. Reagan would later temper his language to align more with official U.S. policy, but his actions toward Taiwan remained those of a close friend and ally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Reagan visited China in 1984, he sought to reassure Taiwan he would not agree to any deals that would hinder relations between Taipei and Washington, with assurances delivered verbally and in briefings to representatives from Taiwan, The New York Times reported at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Foundation quoted Reagan, saying, \u2018There are cultural differences making nations each unique in its own way, but at the same time I think all are bound together with a common heritage of a love of freedom,\u2019 and \u2018our destiny is democracy and the defense of that destiny is one that all of us share.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reagan Foundation President David Trulio told Fox News Digital the group undertook the trip because it is \u2018strongly behind the long-standing bipartisan consensus supporting Taiwan.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute was honored to lead this delegation to Taiwan, a vibrant democracy and an absolutely key economic partner in Asia, a region vital to America\u2019s future,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Klinck in his comments to Fox News Digital continued to focus on the growing Taiwanese public skepticism, arguing that the people worry that U.S.-Taiwan relations have regressed to \u2018a sub-component of the U.S.-China relationship.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The merits of Washington-Taipei relations in all domains must be emphasized outside of Washington-Beijing dynamics,\u2019 Klinck said. \u2018Leveraging opportunities such as completing a U.S.-Taiwan free trade agreement and U.S. leadership to internationalize peace, security and stability in the Taiwan Strait would be strong messages underscoring American commitment.\u2019<\/p>\n
Concern over U.S. commitment to Taiwan has accelerated following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which has consumed global media and political minds and seemingly sucked the oxygen from other conflicts. Even Ukraine coverage has found diminished airtime in the face of the rapidly escalating situation in the Middle East.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former Sen. James Talent, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital Ukraine \u2018is very much on the minds of Taiwanese leaders\u2019 who \u2018appreciate America\u2019s policy of support\u2019 for Ukraine because Taiwanese leaders \u2018think it is important for the democracies of the world to make clear that unprovoked aggression is something they will resist.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018We need to strengthen deterrence, which means both Taiwan and the United States building up the kind of military capabilities that gives Beijing pause about blockading or invading Taiwan,\u2019 Talent said. \u2018That\u2019s the big and most urgent challenge.\u2019<\/p>\n
He highlighted other challenges, such as the way China uses economic power to advance national objectives. But he praised Taiwan\u2019s efforts to develop \u2018self-sufficient\u2019 defensive power and \u2018a greater role in Asian affairs.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trulio stressed that America must keep in mind that \u2018the world is watching\u2019 how it handles these various crises, and the way Ukraine and Israel play out will have \u2018impacts\u2019 on \u2018both sides of the Taiwan Strait.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018The Chinese Communist Party is attempting to use misinformation to make the Taiwanese people skeptical about America\u2019s will to support its friends and allies,\u2019 Trulio argued. \u2018It was clear from our discussions in Taiwan that strong support for Ukraine counters that skepticism and would make China less inclined to initiate a crisis.\u2019<\/p>\n