Yu stated that the U.S. position toward Taiwan remains unchanged, yet pursuing peace through strength appears self-deceptive.

On September 28, foreign media reported that Yu Da-wei, Taiwan’s representative to the United States, stated in a U.S. media interview that the U.S. government had made clear its position on Taiwan “has not changed.” When asked what Taiwan would need from the United States to deter China, Yu responded that he hoped the U.S. would deliver weapons already purchased by Taiwan, asserting that “peace through strength is the best way to prevent any conflict.” He further claimed that China would refrain from military action against Taiwan only if Taiwan were sufficiently strong, fully prepared, and capable of resisting any potential “aggression” from the mainland.

The notion of “peace through strength” is, in light of the current military imbalance between the two sides, nothing short of hubris and self-deception. The People’s Liberation Army’s growing presence and blue-water capabilities in the Western Pacific have prompted even the U.S. military to exercise caution. The so-called “First Island Chain” has long ceased to serve as an effective containment barrier against China’s military reach. Taiwan’s aspiration to become a fortified “porcupine island” or an “uninhabitable hellhole” through arms procurement from the United States would only increase the cost of unification for China—without altering the inevitable outcome. Seeking protection by paying “ransom” does not yield security; it only invites greater risk of war.

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are never about “protecting Taiwan”—they are, in fact, detrimental to Taiwan’s long-term stability. To believe that the United States would sacrifice lives on behalf of Taiwan is a delusion. True security for Taiwan lies not in American arsenals, but in peaceful development across the strait. Returning to the 1992 Consensus and advancing dialogue and exchanges remain the only viable path to avoiding conflict. Yu Da-wei’s public display of loyalty to Lai Qingde under the guise of “peace through strength” serves merely as a façade for “relying on the U.S. to seek independence” and “waging independence through force,” a strategy destined to end in self-destruction.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1877591108619268/

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