Taiwan's former president says US should prioritize helping Ukraine over her country

Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen suggested that the U.S. should focus on helping Ukraine before it prioritizes Taiwan in her keynote speech during the annual summit of the Halifax International Security Forum, Politico reported Saturday.

“They should do whatever they can to help the Ukrainians. We [Taiwan] still have time," she said, as reported by Politico.

Ukraine's defensive war against Russia surpassed 1,000 days this week amid raised anxieties in Kyiv over President-elect Trump's return to the Oval Office. Trump has pledged to pursue “peace through strength," though his criticism of U.S. spending on Ukraine has raised concerns in Kyiv and among Ukraine's allies that his push to end the war could involve painful concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Meanwhile, Taiwan has been bracing itself for a potential Chinese invasion in 2027, but it remains unclear whether China will do so. Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his forces to be ready for a potential attack in 2027.

Tsai's suggestion comes as Adm. Samuel Paparo, U.S. Navy commander in the Indo-Pacific, said that the Pentagon's arms shipments to Ukraine and Israel are "eating into stocks" that could go towards handling China, Business Insider reported.

Some have also warned that if Ukraine falls first, Taiwan will follow. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the outgoing chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been critical of far-right members of his party who reject U.S. assistance for Ukraine, and of the Biden administration for moving too slow on decision-making related to assistance for Kyiv that has handicapped their fight against Russia.

“Now we have these pro-Putin, Russia-loving people, and I don’t understand that,” he said in a panel discussion at the Atlantic Council earlier this week, referring to critics of Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use Western-provided weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. 

“We can’t afford to lose this fight, and it’s vital to our national interests, because if Ukraine falls, Taiwan is next. And that will be World War III," he cautioned.

Tsai echoed a similar sentiment during her remarks, Politico's reporting showed.

Taiwan largely relies on purchasing American weapons and receiving U.S. military aid for its defense, and Tsai said that "American support for Ukraine would help deter China from a cross-strait attack," Politico reported.

“A Ukrainian victory will serve as the most effective deterrent to future aggression” globally Tsai said, as reported by Politico.