It’s Time to Invite Taiwan to RIMPAC

By Jim Halsell

The Taiwan Strait stays some of the risky flashpoints on the planet. With the Individuals’s Republic of China (PRC) accelerating its coercive habits aimed toward “reunifying” Taiwan with the mainland, the USA should undertake a clearer, extra deliberate technique to bolster deterrence and reassure regional companions. One measure that needs to be taken is to incorporate Taiwan on the planet’s largest multinational maritime train – the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC). Doing so could be in step with U.S. coverage beneath the Taiwan Relations Act, align with the values of collective protection and democratic solidarity, and sign to Beijing that any use of army pressure towards Taiwan will lead to a unified, multinational response.

Taiwan’s Strategic Significance

Taiwan occupies a central place within the First Island Chain and performs an important function within the stability of energy in East Asia. It’s a thriving democratic society of 23.4 million individuals and a key node in world semiconductor provide chains. Beijing’s declare to the island is tenuous, supported by a marketing campaign of intimidation and “grey zone” ways that goal to coerce Taiwan into capitulation with out conflict.

Although missing official recognition as an impartial nation by the USA and plenty of of its allies, Taiwan is just not remoted. U.S. coverage, as codified within the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), commits the USA to make obtainable “protection articles and protection providers in such amount as could also be essential to allow Taiwan to keep up a adequate self-defense functionality,” and to “keep the capability of the USA to withstand any resort to pressure or different types of coercion that will jeopardize the safety” of the individuals of Taiwan. Inclusion in RIMPAC would assist operationalize this coverage whereas remaining in step with the U.S. One China coverage.

Why Embrace Taiwan?

Deterrence requires each functionality and credibility. Whereas Taiwan continues to amass U.S. army {hardware} and reform its protection posture, the query of whether or not the USA and its allies would assist Taiwan in a contingency stays intentionally ambiguous. Strategic ambiguity might assist handle escalation danger, however it dangers failing to discourage if Beijing concludes that the prices of aggression are tolerable.

Involving Taiwan in RIMPAC would sign a broader multinational funding in regional peace. Beijing is pursuing two parallel strains of effort to strain Taiwan: coercion with out violence and the looming menace of army pressure. Each avenues might be countered by stronger integration with companions, clear signaling, and public commitments to Taiwan’s survival as a free society.

The inclusion of Taiwan in RIMPAC wouldn’t require diplomatic recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. RIMPAC has beforehand included various contributors with some collaborating solely as observers. Taiwan could possibly be invited beneath an identical framework—e.g., “Taipei Navy—Observer”—that will align with RIMPAC precedent, and wouldn’t represent formal U.S. recognition. It might, nevertheless, reinforce the deterrent message {that a} battle within the Taiwan Strait wouldn’t stay a bilateral difficulty between Washington and Beijing.

Reinforcing the Taiwan Relations Act

The TRA offers a transparent legislative basis for actions that improve Taiwan’s protection and deter coercion. The Act affirms that “the USA will take into account any effort to find out the way forward for Taiwan by apart from peaceable means…a menace to the peace and safety of the Western Pacific space and of grave concern to the USA.”1 Participation in workouts like RIMPAC would assist Taiwan put together for protection with out crossing the road into formal alliance, thereby avoiding a breach of the One China coverage.

Congress continues to reaffirm bipartisan assist for Taiwan’s self-defense. The FY2025 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act (NDAA) consists of provisions to strengthen army cooperation and improve deterrence by initiatives just like the Taiwan Safety Cooperation Initiative. Together with Taiwan in workouts alongside Japan, Australia, and different regional companions could be a pure extension of those legislative efforts.

Operational and Symbolic Worth

Past signaling, there are tangible army advantages. Taiwan’s army operates U.S.-made methods and is transitioning towards an uneven protection mannequin, emphasizing survivability and denial. Interoperability with U.S. and allied forces, particularly in joint maritime operations, might be important in any state of affairs wanting or together with battle.

Because the Council on International Relations notes, “Taiwan probably doesn’t have the capabilities to defend towards a Chinese language assault with out exterior assist,” regardless of pledging almost $20 billion in protection spending for 2025.2 Enhancing operational coordination earlier than a disaster emerges is just not solely prudent, however operationally important.

Symbolically, inclusion in RIMPAC would acknowledge the democratic values that Taiwan shares with different regional companions. That is significantly vital as Taiwan stays diplomatically remoted, with solely eleven international locations sustaining official relations. Participation in multinational army actions would assist offset this isolation with out scary battle, supplied it’s managed diplomatically and clearly communicated.

Would Different Nations Help Taiwan’s Inclusion in RIMPAC?

One of many central considerations surrounding Taiwan’s potential inclusion in RIMPAC is whether or not key U.S. allies and regional companions would assist such a transfer or whether or not they would balk on the political danger of antagonizing the Individuals’s Republic of China. Nevertheless, current geopolitical tendencies recommend that assist for Taiwan’s participation in multinational protection actions is quietly rising, significantly amongst Indo-Pacific democracies that share an curiosity in preserving regional stability and resisting Chinese language coercion.

Japan is probably the most certainly associate to welcome Taiwan’s inclusion. Tokyo has turn into more and more vocal in regards to the significance of Taiwan to Japan’s nationwide safety, with senior officers, together with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, stating that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency.” Japan’s Self-Protection Forces have elevated coordination with the U.S. army and have participated in bilateral and trilateral workouts that implicitly put together for situations involving Taiwan. Given Japan’s rising anxiousness over China’s assertiveness and its personal constitutional reinterpretation on collective self-defense, Tokyo would probably assist Taiwan’s inclusion in a multilateral setting like RIMPAC, particularly if coordinated prematurely with cautious diplomatic messaging.

Australia has additionally strengthened its strategic alignment with the USA and Japan, significantly by the AUKUS settlement. Canberra has voiced considerations about China’s regional habits and just lately joined Washington in emphasizing the significance of peace and stability within the Taiwan Strait. Whereas Australia may be extra cautious about formal diplomatic gestures, it’s unlikely to oppose Taiwan’s participation in a non-sovereign capability, particularly if framed as a security-enhancing measure quite than a political endorsement.

Different Indo-Pacific states, akin to India, Philippines, and Vietnam, have rising pursuits in counterbalancing Chinese language maritime assertiveness. India has lengthy advocated for a multipolar Asia and will view Taiwan’s inclusion as in step with its personal efforts to construct regional coalitions. The Philippines, beneath President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has deepened safety ties with the USA and allowed expanded entry to army bases in response to PRC aggression within the South China Sea. Vietnam, whereas historically cautious of international alignments, has clashed with China over maritime claims and could also be open to Taiwan’s inclusion in an observer or restricted useful function.

European states which have participated in current RIMPAC iterations akin to France, Germany, and the UK have additionally more and more signaled concern over Taiwan’s safety. They carried out transits of the Taiwan Strait, and their protection white papers point out the Indo-Pacific as a zone of strategic curiosity. Whereas these international locations will not be vocal advocates for Taiwan’s inclusion, they’d be unlikely to withdraw or protest if the choice had been led by the USA with acceptable multilateral coordination.

In the end, the figuring out issue could also be how the invitation is framed. If Taiwan’s participation is outlined not as a sovereign equal to different states however quite as a safety associate or “participant entity,” different nations might discover it diplomatically palatable. This is able to mirror Taiwan’s present participation in multilateral boards such because the Olympics, the World Commerce Group and the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation discussion board, the place it joins beneath the title “Chinese language Taipei.”

RIMPAC’s Versatile Participation Mannequin

RIMPAC’s lengthy historical past as a multinational train underscores its diplomatic flexibility. Since its inception in 1971, RIMPAC has included a various array of contributors, together with states with various levels of political alignment with the USA, non-ally companions, and even, at occasions, strategic opponents. This precedent provides a viable pathway for Taiwan’s inclusion with out triggering a elementary break in U.S. coverage or alienating key contributors.

A notable instance is the Individuals’s Republic of China, which was invited to take part in RIMPAC in each 2014 and 2016. Regardless of rising tensions within the South China Sea and considerations about Chinese language army transparency, the Obama administration included the Individuals’s Liberation Military Navy (PLAN) in an effort to advertise skilled army dialogue and scale back the chance of miscalculation. China despatched floor combatants, auxiliary vessels, and observers to take part in non-combat elements of the train. This inclusion was reversed in 2018 following the continued militarization of synthetic options within the South China Sea, however the precedent stays: even states that don’t share U.S. values or alliance buildings have participated in RIMPAC beneath constrained codecs.

Equally, RIMPAC has welcomed non-allied or non-aligned states akin to Vietnam, India, and Brunei, every of which participated in observer or restricted operational capacities. These preparations allowed for diplomatic inclusivity with out compromising the train’s core concentrate on interoperability and safety cooperation. India was first invited as an observer within the early 2000s earlier than progressively increasing its participation, culminating within the deployment of naval belongings by the 2010s. This incremental strategy demonstrates RIMPAC’s capability to accommodate companions with distinctive diplomatic statuses or sensitivities.

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), established beneath the Taiwan Relations Act because the car for unofficial U.S.-Taiwan relations, might function the conduit for managing Taiwan’s RIMPAC participation. AIT-coordinated illustration would enable the USA to keep up consistency with its One China coverage whereas exercising its dedication to Taiwan’s self-defense.

Managing PRC Backlash

Inevitably, Beijing would probably reply harshly to Taiwan’s inclusion in RIMPAC, because it has to different perceived infringements on its sovereignty claims. Massive-scale army drills, financial sanctions, diplomatic condemnation, and cyber operations are all a part of the PRC’s well-established retaliation playbook. But the USA and its companions should resist the temptation to let their Taiwan coverage be dictated by fears of PRC outrage. This reactive posture grants Beijing a de facto veto over democratic decision-making and emboldens additional coercion.

China has escalated its strain marketing campaign on Taiwan even within the absence of provocations. For the reason that election of Democratic Progressive Social gathering (DPP) President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, Beijing has employed what Richard Bush calls “coercion with out violence,” a deliberate marketing campaign to put on down Taiwan psychologically, politically, and economically with out firing a shot.3 This has included near-daily air and naval incursions into Taiwan’s air protection identification zone (ADIZ), cyberattacks on authorities companies, diplomatic isolation, and focused disinformation campaigns.

These actions have continued at the same time as Taiwan’s management has treaded cautiously. President Tsai’s tenure was marked by efforts to keep up the cross-Strait established order and keep away from unilateral declarations of independence. Her successor, President Lai Ching-te, has pledged to do the identical, calling for “dialogue as a substitute of confrontation” in his 2024 inauguration deal with. Nonetheless, Beijing has continued to characterize Lai as a “separatist” and launched punitive army workouts following each his inauguration and Taiwan’s Nationwide Day celebrations.

This sample reveals a key fact: Beijing’s escalatory habits is just not a response to particular actions by Taipei or Washington, however a part of a long-term technique to carry Taiwan beneath PRC management. As such, restraint has not yielded peace; resolve might. Integrating Taiwan into multinational army workouts like RIMPAC would impose reputational and strategic prices on Beijing’s aggression by signaling that Taiwan’s safety is a shared curiosity amongst accountable stakeholders within the Indo-Pacific.

Conclusion

In the end, deterrence fails when adversaries understand inaction as weak point. Taiwan’s participation in multinational workouts is just not merely symbolic. It’s a crucial step to make sure that coercion is met with collective resolve. The message to Beijing should be unmistakable: the democratic world won’t stand by whereas one in every of its personal is bullied into submission.

It’s time for the USA and its Indo-Pacific allies to maneuver from passive deterrence to energetic deterrence. The inclusion of Taiwan in RIMPAC would ship an unmistakable message to Beijing: any aggression towards Taiwan dangers triggering a multilateral response from a community of regional powers united by shared values and pursuits. Together with Taiwan in RIMPAC would fulfill the spirit of the Taiwan Relations Act, improve deterrence, and stand as a visual affirmation of America’s dedication to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Lieutenant Commander James Halsell is a submarine warfare officer. His most up-to-date task at sea was engineer officer on board the usTopeka (SSN-754). He’s the Federal Govt Fellow on the U.S. Naval Institute, and a doctoral scholar at Johns Hopkins Faculty of Superior Worldwide Research, researching the potential influence of deep-seabed mining on maritime sovereignty assertions.

References

1. Lawrence, Susan V. 2024. “Taiwan: Background and U.S. Relations.” Congressional Analysis Service, IF10275, up to date December 26, 2024.

2. Maizland, Lindsay, and Clara Fong. 2025. “Why China–Taiwan Relations Are So Tense.” Council on International Relations, March 19, 2025.

3. Bush, Richard C. 2024. “Why Does the U.S. Safety Partnership with Taiwan Matter?” Brookings Establishment, September 16, 2024.

Featured Picture: Multinational ships sail in formation July 22, 2024, off the coast of Hawaii throughout Train Rim of the Pacific 2024. (U.S. Navy photograph by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino)