US Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken has shown strong support for Taiwan's defense and its participation in international organizations at his confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.
Blinken stressed that the US needs to ensure Taiwan has the ability to deter aggression. When asked about a possible use of Chinese military force against Taiwan, Blinken said, "That would be a grievous mistake on their part."
Blinken also said that the US will work to see Taiwan "even more engaged in the world."
Blinken said that he would look at principles for US-Taiwan exchanges under the Taiwan Assurance Act.
That’s in light of current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement in December that all self-imposed restrictions on US-Taiwan interactions put in place to avoid offending China are null and void.