Cotton: Give China ‘crystal clear’ warning not to invade Taiwan
February 18
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has taken a tough stance against China, raising his profile in a field ambitious Republican senators and governors are beginning to maneuver. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON ― It’s time for the United States to be “crystal clear” it will not allow China to invade Taiwan and will end its longstanding “strategic ambiguity” about whether it would come to the island’s defense, said Sen. Tom Cotton, a senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Speaking at a Reagan Institute event to unveil his economic strategy against China, Cotton said Thursday that the U.S. should respond to what he called China’s sharpening rhetoric and actions toward Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. Last month, the U.S. reaffirmed its support for Taiwan after China dispatched a dozen warplanes near the island.