Taiwanese Watch for Harris-Walz Views on Asia
People in Taiwan are watching closely for how the new Democratic ticket for the U.S. presidency will approach Asia. TaiwanPlus takes a look at U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's connection to the region.
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00:00U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is making her way through critical battleground states
00:05here in Wisconsin with her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,
00:11as they work to build momentum in their race for the White House against the Republican
00:15parties Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.
00:19Here in Taiwan, a country that relies on U.S. arms to defend itself from China, not much
00:24is known about Harris or her views on foreign policy separate from President Joe Biden's
00:30administration.
00:54Though the U.S. broke diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in the 1970s, Washington
01:10has long supported Taiwan unofficially, selling it weapons in the face of China's threat to
01:15invade.
01:16Harris has not traveled to Taiwan, but stepped in for Biden on visits to allies in the Indo-Pacific,
01:22where she reiterated U.S. commitments to safeguard the region from Chinese coercion.
01:28Aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer in Japan in 2022, Harris once again stressed the U.S.' unofficial
01:35support for Taiwan and its pledge to preserve peace in the Taiwan Strait.
01:40The Biden administration has breathed new life into U.S. alliances in the region, from
01:59the Quad with Japan, India and Australia, to hosting historic summits with Japan and
02:04South Korea at Camp David, and another with Japan and the Philippines in Washington.
02:10This focus on multi- or mini-lateral groupings is a response to Russian and Chinese aggression,
02:17says Daniel Russell, the former assistant secretary to then-President Barack Obama in
02:22East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
02:25It's an approach that Harris is likely to continue if she wins.
02:29This is largely a reaction, not an initiative, as China has become much more powerful, a
02:38much more demanding, intrusive actor.
02:42There's every reason to think that the Harris administration will continue to build this
02:49network, this latticework of like-minded partners as a kind of safety net.
02:59With Walls now on board, the former schoolteacher and U.S. Army National Guard veteran brings
03:05unique first-hand experience with China.
03:08Nieman Hama, Governor Tim Walls here.
03:10Happy Chinese New Year.
03:12Walls was among the first American educators to teach in China, and later returned for
03:17his honeymoon with his wife, Gwen.
03:20Years after, as a politician, he became more outspoken against Beijing's human rights record,
03:26advocating for Hong Kong and Tibet while serving on then-President Bill Clinton's Congressional
03:31Executive Commission on China.
03:34With less than three months left before the election, Miles Yu, the former China policy
03:39advisor to the Trump administration, says the issue of China and Taiwan is unlikely
03:44to come up in campaigning, and not because of the ticking clock.
03:48It's not the lack of attention.
03:52It's a consensus of policy on China.
03:57Both Republicans and Democrats agree that China has become America's number one national
04:04security threat.
04:05We have really reached a point where the American foreign policy and our global strategy has
04:16fully embraced Taiwan.
04:18If U.S. commitment to securing peace in the Indo-Pacific has been established, then countries
04:23in the region, including Taiwan, can expect that pledge to hold, regardless of who wins
04:29the White House in November.
04:31Andy Hsueh and Joyce Sun for Taiwan Plus.
04:35For more UN videos visit www.un.org