September 9, 2026 — Remarks by American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene and ROC in Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim placed three different risk-management tools in the same discussion: diplomacy, military deterrence and civil resilience.
Reuters reported that Greene described the coming United States–Mainland China summit as an opportunity to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations. He also referred to regional partnerships and support for Taiwan’s self-defense. Hsiao emphasized stronger defenses and broader social preparation.
Different tools address different risks
Diplomacy can clarify intentions and reduce accidental escalation. Deterrence is intended to change the expected costs of using force. Civil resilience concerns a society’s ability to maintain communications, public services and democratic decision-making during coercion or disruption.
None of those tools guarantees peace. Diplomatic contact does not erase competing sovereignty positions; defense spending does not by itself establish readiness; and resilience planning cannot substitute for crisis communication.
What the public record establishes
The public record establishes that Greene and Hsiao made the attributed statements at the forum and that the ROC in Taiwan government plans increased defense spending. Greene’s comparison with the economic effects of the Second World War remains an official’s warning rather than a disclosed quantitative assessment.
The statements also did not announce an imminent conflict or a change in the legal positions of Washington, Taipei or Beijing. Future summit readouts and concrete policy actions will be more probative than rhetoric alone.
Sources
- Reuters: Taiwan Strait conflict warning and forum remarks
- American Institute in Taiwan: Director Raymond Greene
- Office of the President, Republic of China in Taiwan: Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim