US Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific: "China's Invasion of Taiwan Would Hit Global Economy... No One Would Win"

Remarks at Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing

A senior U.S. State Department official warned that if China’s invasion of Taiwan becomes a reality, the global economy, including China’s, would suffer a severe blow, and "no one would win in such a scenario."

Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, made this remark on the 30th of last month (local time) during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing held in Washington, D.C., in response to Senator Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) question asking whether China would also suffer significant economic damage if it invaded Taiwan.

Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink stated, "There would be a profoundly destructive impact on the global economy, affecting all of us, including China."

However, he emphasized, "We want to stress that we do not see a conflict as imminent or inevitable," and explained that the U.S. seeks to maintain deterrence by using all available tools to prevent China from succumbing to the "temptation" to take sudden action against Taiwan.

During the hearing, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) pointed out concerns that if the U.S. builds semiconductor supply chains domestically, reducing reliance on Taiwan, the need to assist Taiwan’s defense might decrease, potentially weakening Taiwan’s "Silicon Shield."

In response, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink said that efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and to deter China’s invasion would remain unchanged, emphasizing, "Our stake in peace and stability goes far beyond just our economic ties or the importance of the semiconductor industry."