Are U.S., Allies Training for China War over Taiwan in Philippines, Australia?
Host: Yin Khvat According to leaked details in the Financial Times, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby has been privately pushing Australia and Japan to clarify whether they would join the defense of Taiwan during a hypothetical invasion by China. Colby’s requests have reportedly irked Tokyo and Canberra officials, particularly given Washington’s policy of “strategic ambiguity”. Who leaked these details and why? The report comes as Taiwan wraps up its largest-ever Han Kuang exercises. Other U.S. allies are also conducting major defense drills across the Indo-Pacific, with 20 nations and more than 65,000 troops involved. Given the scale and multi-national nature of these rehearsals, is the true answer to Colby’s question in plain sight? In this episode, we discuss the leaked report, the latest military drills and what it all means for a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Our guests: Tony Hu - Former U.S. Department of Defense senior director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Alexander Huang - Council on Strategic and Wargaming Studies Chair
