the Quad

High Cost of Taiwan Invasion Will Dissuade China, Pentagon Official Says

Taiwanese Marines on Jan. 11, 2023. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense Photo

China will not attempt to invade Taiwan before the end of the decade because it understands the high cost, the senior Pentagon official in charge of Indo-Pacific security said Thursday.

“Deterrence is real; deterrence is strong” today and tomorrow, said Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary for the Indo-Pacific. The United States can likely deter Beijing from attacking the self-governing island 100 miles off the Chinese...

https://news.usni.org/2023/03/02/high-cost-of-taiwan-invasion-will-dissuade-china-pentagon-official-says

Pentagon Official: China Must See Taiwan Invasion As Costly

President Tsai Ing-wen reviews a Marine Corps battalion in Kaohsiung in July 2020. Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China

When it comes to Taiwan, the United States’ goal is to ensure Beijing understands an invasion is “never easy to do rapidly or cost-free,” the senior Pentagon official for the Indo-Pacific said Thursday.

Ely Ratner, speaking at the American Enterprise Institute, added, “what we are trying to do [is] ensure when Beijing looks at the problem, [it decides]...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/09/pentagon-official-china-must-see-taiwan-invasion-as-costly

Okinawa Key to Japan’s Defense Against China, North Korea, Says Expert

U.S. Marines with 3d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division, load CH-53E Super Stallions with 1st Marine Aircraft Wing during Castaway 21.1 on Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, March 16, 2021. U.S. Marine Corps Photo

Winning the hearts and minds of Okinawans is critical to strengthening Japan’s own defenses against China, Russia and North Korea, one of Japan’s leading security experts said Thursday.

Support from Okinawans is also key to smoothing over difficulties in Tokyo’s military...

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/08/okinawa-key-to-japans-defense-against-china-north-korea-says-expert

Panel: Beijing Closely Tracking Global Reaction to Ukraine Invasion

Xi Jinping President of the People’s Republic of China speaks at a United Nations Office in Geneva on Jan. 18, 2017. UN Photo

China’s Xi Jinping is closely monitoring what is happening to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reputation following the invasion of Ukraine, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones said Monday.
Xi is looking at how the world views Putin as a gauge of global reaction he might face should Xi move against Taiwan, Jones argued.

Jones, who also served as the national security...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/11/panel-beijing-closely-tracking-global-reaction-to-ukraine-invasion