Abstract
Ever since President Barack Obama pronounced himself as the first Pacific president of the United States in November 2009, Taiwan has closely watched the gradual but multidimensional shift of the country’s foreign policy focus toward Asia. From Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s October 2010 speech in Hawaii on engagement in Asia and the United States’ growing interest in participating in the Pacific Islands Forum, to President Obama’s announcement of a new defense strategic guidance in January 2012 and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s statement at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue about transferring 60% of U.S. Navy assets to Asia by 2020, Taiwan has paid close attention to the U.S. government’s efforts at strategic rebalancing toward Asia.
Taiwan is not alone. In the past decade, U.S. regional friends and allies all have witnessed the rise of Chinese economic influence and military capability. During the Cold War, the United States was both the largest trading partner and the ultimate security guarantor to its Asian allies. Maintaining a good relationship with Washington was thus the key to both national wealth and security. Today, however, China’s emergence as the world’s second-largest economy, with a high growth rate in military expenditure, has confronted U.S. allies in Asia with the dilemma of choosing between pursuing the economic benefits of trade with China and mitigating security concerns over its rise. The new U.S. strategic orientation of rebalancing toward Asia could help stabilize the region.
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