TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Taiwan's military buildup is not fast enough, Jamestown Foundation President Peter Mattis said at a symposium on China and cross-strait relations on Tuesday.
In a speech titled "The Illusion of Stability in Taiwan," Mattis warned that Taiwan's defense spending has grown too slowly and remains inefficient, Liberty Times reported. Taiwan lacks real-time intelligence on Chinese military operations, he added.
If Taiwan does not understand how the Chinese Communist Party works, it cannot defend itself effectively, Mattis warned. He urged Taiwan's major political parties to find common ground on national security, citing polls showing most Taiwanese oppose unification and are willing to defend their country.
The think tank president pointed out that Taiwan, despite facing threats, has not signed long-term cooperation agreements to ensure stable and continuous ammunition production.
On US-Taiwan cooperation, Mattis said both countries can deepen defense collaboration and investment based on their complementary strengths. Taiwan should also consider partnering closely with the EU. Even though China and Russia lack mutual trust and shared values, they still cooperate industrially, which is something Taiwan can learn from.
Addressing speculation that China may invade Taiwan by 2027, Mattis clarified that the date originated from then-US Indo-Pacific Commander Philip Davidson's congressional testimony in 2021.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered the military to be ready for an invasion by that year -- not to launch one, Mattis said. He added that Xi's actions have ironically strengthened Taiwan's international support, as Japan now explicitly states that safeguarding Taiwan's security is crucial to its own. If Beijing were to attack, the US and Australia would likely respond, he said.
Meanwhile, John Noh, the US Defense Department's assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs nominee, said Taiwan must do more to boost its defense capabilities at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week.
He urged Taiwan to reform its "training, mobilization, civil military integration, hardening its infrastructure, strengthening its cybersecurity practices." He also called on the country to increase its defense spending to 10% of its GDP.
In response, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said the government would gradually increase spending to President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) target of 5% of GDP. The budget would include developing asymmetric capabilities, strengthening defense resilience, and improving reserve forces, Koo said.
Former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver said last week the US could approve new arms sales to Taiwan once the Legislative Yuan passes its special defense budget. Schriver believed Washington would support more arms sales if the special budget were as large as Taiwanese officials have described.