Taiwan’s FM calls for Taipei to be part of 'first island chain' security framework
Weaving Taiwan into existing frameworks to create a stronger U.S.-led regional defense architecture is crucial to deterring Chinese aggression, the democratic island’s top diplomat told The Japan Times, as Taipei looks to deepen security ties with Tokyo and neighboring countries.To effectively deter China’s attempts to expand its influence all the way into the Pacific, “the most important thing is to embed Taiwan more fully into Indo-Pacific security frameworks,” particularly with partner countries along the “first island chain,” Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said last week in an interview in Taipei, referring to the strategic string of islands that stretch from Japan to Borneo forming a “chain” between China and the Pacific.Washington has long had bilateral security treaties with several countries in the region. But new challenges, particularly the rapid rise of China and intensifying territorial and maritime disputes, have led to the emergence of “minilateralism,” or several small U.S.-led country groupings aiming to tackle shared security concerns.
