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Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper says Taiwan is “not prepared enough” for a potential Chinese invasion, though he is optimistic the island will get to that point.
Esper, who traveled to Taiwan in July, said this week he met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and “outlined a number of things that I thought they needed to do,” including dramatically increasing the island’s defense budget, increasing the length of conscription for at least a year and stockpiling food and weapons.
“They seem to be on that path, that’s a good thing. Washington is doing similar things with providing arms and additional training,” he told Bloomberg’s Balance of Power.
China has ramped up its aggression toward Taiwan over the past several years, including major military drills around the island this August following Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) visit to Taipei.
And Taiwan’s defense ministry said Monday that China had sent 71 planes and seven ships toward the island in a 24-hour display of force.
