The United States Congress will continue to act “tough” on China regardless of whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins the U.S. presidential election in November, a former top American diplomat to Taiwan said on Monday.
“No matter who wins the presidential elections this fall, the Congress will insist on broad continuity in our Asian policy, that will include continuing arms sales to Taiwan and projecting a tough stance toward any efforts by Beijing to threaten or attack this island,” Stephen Young, former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taipei director said in a Taipei seminar.
“If Kamala Harris is elected, she will demonstrate strong continuity with the [President Joe] Biden team,” said Young, who served as AIT director from 2006 to 2009.
Young described Harris as so far having “pushed back vigorously against Chinese territorial claims, reinforcing American alliances with our many allies and friends in the Asia-Pacific region” in her role as vice president in the Biden administration.
“She is working assiduously to deepen her knowledge of the defense needed to maintain our alliances, showing an ability to rapidly familiarize herself with the Biden policies and any necessary additions aimed at crafting a bipartisan approach to defending Taiwan’s territorial integrity,” Young said.
While Trump would be “less predictable” than Harris if re-elected, the Republican former president “would still face significant opposition to any substantive shift away from Taipei,” according to the former U.S. top envoy to Taiwan.
“The American Congress, across party lines, has long supported moral and material support for Taipei and its democratic system, and this is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future,” he added.