The ‘Strategic Ambiguity’ Surrounding Taiwan

US ally Taiwan not only wonder if the US will defend it against mainland China invasion, but if the US is still capable of doing

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen speaks as Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen (R) listens during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 2, 2022. Taiwan Presidential Office via AP

Commentary

“Strategic ambiguity” has been the longstanding policy of the United States with regard to defending it against Chinese aggression from across the Taiwan Strait. In keeping with the term, the actual meaning of strategic ambiguity is, well, ambiguous.

Idea Behind Ambiguity

The gist of the ambiguity strategy is that U.S. military planners and policymakers think that it’s most effective to keep both Beijing and Taipei guessing regarding U.S. defense plans concerning Taiwan. Not knowing if the United States would defend Taiwan, and if so, under what circumstances and by what means, supposedly made it much more difficult for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to plan an invasion of the island nation.