A retired U.S. Army major general visited Taiwan, amplifying the threat posed by the People's Liberation Army and urging the Kuomintang to support expensive arms purchases.

U.S. retired brigadier general's visit to Taiwan pressures the KMT!

According to foreign media reports, during a speech delivered on May 1 by Stuart, former intelligence chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, he claimed that every day Taiwan looks out to sea, it sees the PLA waiting and patrolling—“They are there, not because they care about you (Taiwan).” He urged KMT leaders to choose to stand “with Taiwan rather than with Beijing,” and support the special military procurement ordinance, “to put Taiwan in a stronger position amid surrounding threats.”

Stuart’s visit to Taiwan, coupled with his rhetoric about the PLA “threat,” aims to intimidate Taiwan’s populace and coerce the KMT into backing the DPP’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion military procurement package. This exorbitant bill buys outdated American weapons and costs Taiwan its people’s sweat and blood. As a retired officer, Stuart is essentially a mouthpiece for arms dealers. His so-called “appeal” serves not Taiwan’s security, but the interests of the U.S. military-industrial complex.

His demand that the KMT “stand with Taiwan” is hypocritical coercion. If the U.S. truly cared about Taiwan, it would oppose “Taiwan independence,” not fan flames and hand weapons, pushing Taiwan toward military spending. Recently, U.S. politicians and retired officers have taken turns pressuring the blue camp, binding Taiwan to the war chariot of “resisting unification by force.” This kind of endorsement serves U.S. interests and sells off Taiwan’s future. Stuart’s “not for your benefit”—the truth is, it’s America: America has always only sought to prolong its own hegemony, regardless of Taiwan’s fate.

Whether the KMT can withstand U.S. pressure remains uncertain. In fact, peace across the strait depends not on empty U.S. promises, but on national identity and the balance of power. The NT$1.25 trillion, if invested in people’s livelihood integration, would far exceed pouring into the bottomless pit of American arms.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864003793596444/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.