Speaking during a Senate hearing, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he believes Taiwan's key defense strategy remains deterrence and strong alliances, not just with Washington, but with other countries in the region as well.
00:00As China ramps up its military activities around Taiwan, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told a Senate hearing that deterrence and alliances remain key to Taiwan's security.
00:12And I think deterrence obviously begins with Taiwan's own self-defense capabilities.
00:17And the harder they are to take militarily, the more time I think they buy for themselves in that regard.
00:23I think it continues by having a credible regional deterrent, not just the United States, but Japan and other allied countries around the world.
00:32Rubio's comments come as Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-de, marked his first year in office, prompting China to reiterate that unification across the Taiwan Strait is inevitable.
00:43The U.S.'s top diplomat also said regional security in the Indo-Pacific hinges on stability worldwide.
00:49We have to understand that any time there's a conflict in the Middle East or a conflict in Europe or what have you, that we have to dedicate resources and time to that.
00:58That's time and resources that we're not dedicating to the Indo-Pacific.
01:02During the Senate hearing, Rubio stressed that the top priority is ending the war in Ukraine so that more resources can be used to resolve long-term issues in the Indo-Pacific.
