© YouTube screenshot)Jake Sullivan speaks with David Rubenstein.
Sullivan was a featured guest at a meeting of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. hosted by the organization's president David Rubenstein. The discussion mainly revolved around Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but also touched on China's role in the Russo-Ukrainian war and cross-strait issues.
Rubenstein asked whether he was worried that China might consider invading Taiwan and whether the situation in Russia and Ukraine was similar to that in the Taiwan Strait. Sullivan said the Biden administration has expressed concerns about China "taking efforts to unilaterally change the status quo."
Sullivan said the White House believes that China is carefully monitoring the situation in Ukraine to learn lessons from the conflict, including how those could be applied to Taiwan. However, Sullivan stressed the "situation with Ukraine and the situation with Taiwan are not the same."
Comment: Indeed the situations aren't the same, however there is a lot to be gleaned from Russia's incursion into Ukraine, both tactically but also in terms of seeing how far the West is capable of and willing to go; as it is, the West has shown itself to be in a rather weak position.
The security advisor then emphasized the U.S. relationship and security partnership with Taiwan is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act. Sullivan pointed out that over recent weeks, the Biden administration has consulted with allies and partners, including Europe, to say:
"This kind of thing can happen in Europe, this kind of thing can also happen in the Indo-Pacific. And it is incumbent upon responsible countries in the world to send a clear message that any type of aggression is unacceptable wherever it happens."
Comment: Except that when the US called on its former vassals and apparent allies to condemn Russia it didn't get the response it was hoping for; like the sanctions, in some cases, the coercion backfired: US suddenly pretends to care about human rights abuses in India after Washington fails to get Delhi to distance itself from Russia
Rubenstein pressed further by asking if China were to invade Taiwan whether it was "official government policy that we will defend Taiwan?" Sullivan responded by saying the White House's policy is that "we are going to take every step we possibly can to ensure that never happens."
Comment: The US is certainly taking every step it can to prevent China reuniting with Taiwan - known officially as Republic of China - that's why they've surrounded China with military bases, however, as evidenced by Ukraine, the game has changed, it's just that the 'reality creators' running the US simply refuse to accept defeat:
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