Taiwan will play a role in the United States' "rebalance" strategy of shifting its security focus towards the Asia-Pacific region, said Mark Lippert, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia and Pacific Security Affairs.
The US official noted that although the budget cuts, which commenced on Friday, may make things become unpredictable and could force around 20% of civilian employees at the Pentagon to take unpaid leave, the "rebalancing" policy remains as a priority for the US government.
Lippert said the US government has already had smooth discussions with Taiwan on its role in the policy. The US has a consistent policy on the Taiwan Strait which is based on its Taiwan Reactions Act and the Three Joint Communiques between the governments of the US and the PRC, he added, noting that the rebalancing policy will not be a zero-sum game or a contain-China measure.
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