Why Did Biden Say the U.S. Will Send Troops to Taiwan but Not Do So for Ukraine?

Baosheng Guo

The foreign policy of the U.S. lets people confuse sometimes. For instance, the U.S. and the Western countries have tried their best to help Ukraine to defend itself against the aggression of Russia but have not sent troops to Ukraine. However, the President of the U.S. Joe Biden said four times that the U.S. will send troops to Taiwan if China attacks Taiwan (Thiessen). Why did the U.S. not send troops to Ukraine and the U.S. will send troops to Taiwan? Undoubtedly, that indicates there is a significant difference between Ukraine and Taiwan for American political and security interests, although they have many common features such as both are strong aggressive neighbors, and both are democratic countries, etc. In fact, in terms of U.S. interest, there is a clear difference between Ukraine and Taiwan in strategic location, the challenge of the aggressor, and the value of economics and technology.

In the first place, Ukraine and Taiwan have differences in location, that is whether they are close to the territory of the U.S. and whether the territorial integrity of the U.S. is directly challenged. Ukraine is between Russia and western Europe, and it is not bordered by the U.S. The U.S. has a long distance from Ukraine. Therefore, even if Russia completely conquers Ukraine, that will not threaten the territorial integrity of the U.S. Obviously, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has threatened the territorial of Europe states, not the U.S. In contrast, Taiwan is close to the territories of the U.S. such as Guam and the other islands in west Pacific Ocean of the U.S. Indeed, Taiwan is the western gate of the homeland of America. In addition, Taiwan is the key strategic fortress in the first island line which is the island line in the western Pacific Ocean to confront communist China. If Taiwan were to be defeated, the U.S. would not only lose the fort in the first line of defensive islands but also lose the territories in the Pacific Ocean such as Guam and Hawaii, even threatening the land of California and continental America. Thus, unlike in Ukraine, the U.S. must send troops to Taiwan to protect the American homeland and the territorial integrity of the U.S. 

Additionally, the aggressors in Ukraine and Taiwan are different, so the U.S. should use different approaches to face the challenge of the aggressors. The aggressor in Ukraine is Russian, which is a regional hegemony that has second-class military strength and economic level and cannot challenge the hegemony of the U.S. Thus, the U.S does not need to send troops to fight directly with Russia and only needs to aid it economically and provide weapons and munitions for Ukraine to defeat Russia. However, the aggressor in Taiwan is China, which is a global hegemony and has the ambition and ability to replace the hegemony of the U.S. According to the latest “National Security Strategy”, which is reported by the Biden administration, the U.S. thinks China “is the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and the growing capacity to do it” (Garamone). China has the largest military in the world, and it is the second largest economic system in the world. Because of the massive difference between China and Russia, if China invades Taiwan, the approach used in Ukraine by the U.S. and its allies will not work, and the American military find itself deeply engaged in a war in Taiwan. In addition, China’s main reason for invading Taiwan is that China wants to replace the hegemony of the U.S. China has already determined that it must engage in direct conflict with the U.S because China thinks the U.S. is its true enemy. As a result, unlike in Ukraine, the U.S. will send troops to Taiwan if China attacks. 

Finally, there is an apparent difference in the value of economics and technology between Ukraine and Taiwan, which determined whether the U.S. sends troops. Ukraine is a developing country, and it focuses on agriculture and is not developed in high technology and industry. Ukraine does not have economic or technological value for the U.S. However, Taiwan has critical economic and technological value for the U.S. and its allies. Taiwan is one of the world’s most important semiconductor manufacturing centers. In 2021, Taiwan earned 26 percent of global semiconductor revenue and accounted for 64 percent of foundry revenue (Manners). Taiwan’s company TSMC is the largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips in the world. In addition, the Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s most important lanes for marine shipping and air cargoes; most of the energy and cargo of Japan and South Korea passes through this strait. Thus, for the U.S., Taiwan has more critical economic and technological value than Ukraine. The U.S should take different approaches to the two countries. 

To synthesize, although Taiwan and Ukraine both have many common characteristics, there are three differences between the two sides: their varying distances from the U.S., the differences between their aggressors (Russia and China), and the disparities between their economic and technological values. Based on these critical differences between Ukraine and Taiwan, President Biden said that the U.S. will send troops to Taiwan but will not do so for Ukraine. Obviously, it benefits understanding the foreign policy of the U.S. by comparing and contrasting these two counties. 

Works Cited

Garamone, Jim. "National Security Strategy Aims to Address New Challenges." U.S. Department of Defense, 13 Oct. 2022, www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3187907/national-security-strategy-aims-to-address-new-challenges

Manners, David. "Taiwan Has 26% of World Chip Revenues." Electronics Weekly, 4 Apr. 2022, www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/taiwan-26-world-chip-revenues-2022-04/.

Thiessen, Marc A. "Biden Says the U.S. Will Defend Taiwan. His Aides Must Accept It." American Enterprise Institute - AEI, The Washington Post, 22 Sept. 2022, www.aei.org/op-eds/biden-says-the-u-s-will-defend-taiwan-his-aides-must-accept-it