Rep. Mike Gallagher says Ukraine war wake-up call for Taiwan to stockpile weapons
Misty Severi
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Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) claimed that Russia’s war with Ukraine should serve as a wake-up call for Taiwan to begin stockpiling weapons and increased pressure on the United States to supply weapons to the country ahead of a possible Chinese invasion.
Gallagher, who met with Taiwanese leaders during a four-day trip to the island nation, said he would use his position as chairman of the new House select committee on China to attract attention to the matter of arming Taiwan.
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“Almost every Taiwanese official I met with mentioned the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a wake-up call,” Gallagher told the Washington Post. “Our best chance of preventing an invasion of Taiwan, and of essentially preventing World War III, is to put actual hard power on Taiwan.”
The biggest concern for Taiwanese leaders is a $19 billion arms backlog, Gallagher said. The backlog includes weapons such as Harpoon anti-ship missiles and F-16 fighter jets. In some cases, the weapons are not expected to arrive until 2027, according to a congressional aide.
“That was the biggest thing we heard from every major Taiwanese leader — concerns over delays,” Gallagher said. ‘That’s troubling the Taiwanese, and I think that’s unacceptable.”
Gallagher added that it was important to arm Taiwan ahead of a possible invasion from China. China has vowed to reunite Taipei with the People’s Republic of China someday, even through force.
“We need to be moving heaven and earth to arm Taiwan to the teeth to avoid a war,” Gallagher said. “Nobody knows if and when Xi Jinping wakes up and decides to do this but all the more reason to put in place a denial posture as quickly as possible.”
Tensions between Taiwan and China have only increased as the communist country sides with Russia in its invasion of its neighboring country Ukraine. NATO recently said it was increasingly concerned that China would supply weapons to Russia.
“We are also increasingly concerned that China may be planning to provide lethal support for Russia’s war,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference. “Putin must not win. That would show that aggression works and force is rewarded. It would be dangerous for our own security and for the whole world.”
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Gallagher was one of five lawmakers to visit Taiwan during a recess in Congress. His visit comes as President Joe Biden made his own secret trip to Ukraine to show the U.S.’s continued support for “Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”