Republican hopeful DeSantis backs Taiwan deterrence

US presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis on Tuesday stressed the importance of warding off conflict over Taiwan, telling a Japanese media outlet that “what China respects is strength”.

The Florida governor, who is widely expected to seek the Republican nomination in next year’s White House race, said maintaining the status quo over Taiwan was key.

“The goal should be to deter a military situation from happening,” DeSantis said in an interview with Nikkei Asia in Japan, his first stop on a tour seen as a bid to burnish his diplomatic and security credentials.

DeSantis said Chinese President Xi Jinping “clearly wants to take Taiwan at some point”, and he warned that the costs of doing so would outweigh any benefits.

“Ultimately, what China respects is strength,” he told the outlet.

DeSantis has yet to officially announce his 2024 bid, but is already the biggest threat to former president Donald Trump in both polls and media attention.

His comments came as Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin — another possible Republican presidential contender — met Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei on Tuesday.

China views democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and has vowed to bring the island under its control one day.

Tensions have flared recently between Washington and Beijing, with China staging three days of war games this month that simulated “sealing off” Taiwan, following a visit to Los Angeles by Tsai.

DeSantis is also due to visit South Korea, Israel and Britain on his trip, officially billed as an effort to build business opportunities for Florida.

On Monday, the conservative 44-year-old met Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and praised Tokyo’s decision to overhaul security strategy and boost defence spending.

Nikkei Asia said DeSantis did not say whether he supported a US military intervention if a Chinese attack on Taiwan were to take place.

And when asked about the war in Ukraine, he argued that European countries “need to do more” if the United States is focused on threats in Asia.