On a trip to Asia to rebuild structured trade relations with its partners by signing the Indo-Pacific trade deal, President Biden was asked about the willingness of the U.S. to militarily support Taiwan if China were to potentially invade. Joel Rubin, a foreign policy expert and VP for global policy and public affairs at National Peace Corps Association, joined Cheddar News to break down the trade agreement and Biden's frank assessment on defending Taiwan if necessary. 

Closing Bell

President Biden Says U.S. Would Respond 'Militarily' if China Invades Taiwan

Welcome back to Cheddar News is closing bell everyone President biden making waves on his trip to Asia today inking a new trade deal with a dozen indo pacific countries. It's meant to show the U. S. Dedication to helping their economies following disruptions from the pandemic and now Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Well, the president also taking a hard line on chinese influence in Taiwan saying the US would intervene militarily if china invaded the island nation. Joining me now is Joel Rubin, former deputy assistant secretary of state and VP for global policy and public affairs at the National Peace Corps Association. Jill thanks for coming on the show and let's start with this trade deal. What do we know about it and why is it significant kristen it's great to be with you this trade deal that this indo pacific economic framework is really about putting back structure to the relationship between the United States and our asian allies and Partners on economics on investment, on trade that basically has gone fallow for the last several years when Donald trump pulled out of the TPP the trans pacific Partnership. So we don't have a regional framework to rely on. That's now changed. And so we're seeing the majority of of the world's population in this framework. We're seeing about 60% of global GDP represented in this framework and we're seeing America engaging with our allies in an effort. It's not just about economics but it's also about strategy and it's about ensuring that these allies understand that we're there for them were backing them up. We're going to have robust trade relations and china is not in that club. And this is to help ensure that they are working closely with us and see us as a bulwark as a backbone for their long term security and prosperity Joel. Why is Taiwan, a small island off the coast of mainland china is so important to both us and chinese interests? It's a great question. Look, china views Taiwan as part of its own as a breakaway uh state. I would say republic, but that's how the Taiwanese, that's how they want to refer to themselves. And we we have a policy that is one china policy is saying that yes, recognize that that's what china uh states, but we also support Taiwan and its ability to have a democracy and an open economy. We provide defense systems and support to China, I'm sorry to to Taiwan and this is a longstanding part of a sort of duality of our policy. It's a bit opaque in terms of what will happen next. We are looking at china and saying don't invade, don't conduct military activities. They do saber saber rattle from time to time. And so we are are putting a strong foot forward and saying that china do not think about doing this, but at the same time we're not calling for an independent Taiwan and two states. So of course at china, the world's second biggest economy, a key trading partner, not with just the U. S. But every other country around the world. These comments from the president that he would be prepared to intervene militarily if China were to invade. Is there any risk here of worsening the economic relationship between the US and China? You know, chris I don't I don't think that that's really going to come to pass. And in fact some of the worst case predictions after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, where that Russia would partner with china more closely in China would backfill to Russia. We haven't seen that take place china despite the the the aggressive nature they have in the region and the competition with the United States. They are very pragmatic at a very operational level and they are not doing things to provoke Further confrontation directly with the United States. That said China has the long view. They are looking out 10, 15 years down the road, there's some predictions that they may be building a nuclear capacity of 1000 deployed uh nuclear warheads potentially. And and so they are are looking over the long run. But in the near term, certainly this is not a high risk for war. And we even saw the Defense Secretary pull back on the President's comments to say that is not the goal here. The goal here is to ensure that china sees us as a competition and that we are standing by our allies in that competition and isolating china economically at the same time by building up stronger partnerships with India and Japan South Korea and the rest who have joined into this very, very exciting framework, Joel. Nearly a year and a half into Biden's presidency. Eu officials, U. S. Officials are still torn on the best path forward for these trade tariffs that former president trump implemented while he was in office. Why is it so challenging to determine the best path in regards to that? You know, in my engagements with the administration talking about this, they do see these tariffs as opportunities for leverages opportunities to get back into some kind of trade arrangements with china that are better than what they were before. They do understand and they're cognizant of the pain that causes at home. Uh tariffs are not uh instruments that are to be taken lightly. They have impacts here at home. They certainly have impacts on global trade. And so right now we're in a bit of a stasis politically as well domestically. And we have to be honest about that. Uh the Tpp the trans pacific Partnership trade agreement essentially could not get through Congress under President Obama and President trump pulled it back and we don't see a major clamoring amongst the the Congress and and in in the political environment for a renewed trade agreement. So in the meantime, the pressure is still on these negotiations, this new framework is in place and continued engagements bilaterally you're going to take place to try to claw back some of the the Protectionism and some of the problems that we face in our bilateral trade relationship with china. President biden continues his visit in Asia, Joel. Are you confident that this new block with the President enlisting a dozen countries to come together to fend off china's dominance in the region? Can it be successful? Well, there's a major desire in Asia for this kind of an initiative and one of the positive outcomes. Uh we have to look for silver linings in this and that's what I'm getting at in the case of the war that we're witnessing between Russia and Ukraine is the revitalization of international alliances where the United States working with our allies and our partners in europe are showing strong determination, the asian democracies and our allies are looking at that as a sign that the United States wants to re engage globally, that it's in America's interest and it's in their interest to have that relationship grow and prosper. So yes, this framework, this is not a simple thing to pull off. We're seeing President biden engaged aggressively diplomatically around the world and pulling this together is a coup for President biden and it's a new platform for the United States and these countries to engage going forward in the region. All right, Joel, Rubin Vp of global policy and public affairs, the National Peace Corps Association, Joel, thank you