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Not so long ago, Taiwan claimed to be a bipartite support apparently without limits in Washington, where the island has long been considered a valiant democratic partner against China.
Now, a few weeks after the second term of President Donald J. Trump, Taiwan adapts to a change in his relations with the United States, his main funder – which does not focus on shared democratic ideals, and C ‘is more uncertain and transactional. Trump accused Taiwan of spending far too little for his own security and obtaining unfair domination in the manufacture of semiconductors.
Taiwanese officials and businessmen have tried to ensure the new administration of their commitment to cooperation. They went to Washington for meetings, bearing cards detailing their military spending and attended inauguration events filled with the faithful of Maga. They floated new offers that Taiwanese companies could negotiate American companies in gas and other areas, and tried to explain the value of the manufacture of Taiwan semiconductors to American interests.
Underlying their efforts is anxiety about what Mr. Trump can, for example, press Taiwanese companies to move advanced semiconductor production to the United States. Mr. Trump said he could soon impose prices on semiconductors. Taiwanese officials have prepared to help Taiwanese companies soften the blow of such a decision.
“I think Taiwan simply convinced that they had good relations with the United States and that they had a lot of friends in the congress, and they could resist the storm,” said Bonnie S. GlaserThe Director General of the Indo-Pacific Program of the German Marshall, who often speaks with Taiwanese politicians. “When Trump made these comments, I think it was a awakening for the people of Taiwan that they really didn’t know what was going to go afterwards.”
Governments around the world try to adapt to Mr. Trump’s combative approach. But Taipei issues are particularly high. The island depends on the United States for almost all its main weapons. He sends almost a quarter From its exports directly to the United States, and Washington is crucial to provide political support to Taiwan against Beijing, which affirms that Taiwan is its territory and must accept unification – by force, if necessary.
Taiwanese officials and political advisers have said that the island would quickly deploy measures to help its companies injure new American rates. They spoke under the cover of anonymity due to the sensitive and provisional nature of the plans and refused to give details. Some officials have publicly published preparations. “We are preparing for a range of scenarios”, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Kuo Jyh-Huei,, Tell to journalists Asked about Mr. Trump’s threatened rates. “If we showed our hand now, it wouldn’t work for everyone.”
Even if Mr. Trump holds the prices, Taiwan faces more pressure from his administration on other questions. They include the island’s great surplus with the United States, which reached a record of $ 74 billion last year According to American dataAnd its military expenses and preparations, which many in Washington consider it missing, even if billions of dollars in orders for American military equipment are blocked in a backlog. The United States is committed by law to help Taiwan defend itself and leaves the possibility of intervening militarily if China tried to conquer the island.
“There is a basic gap. We have thought that America and Taiwan are in solid partnership, but America under Trump thinks that Taiwan does not do it enough, “said Jason HsuA former Taiwanese legislator and technological investor who is now a principal researcher at the Hudson Institute. “Sooner or later, the Taiwan government will have to go to town with a ready to offer Trump package.”
In public, the Taiwanese government provides for a calm confidence in relations with Washington. But the efforts of Taiwanese officials to integrate the bridges in the inner circle of Mr. Trump during the trips to Washington last month and in December, have given little to now, said three American officials familiar with their attempts, who have describes interactions as limited.
Taiwan sent two economic officials to Washington this week to “better explain to Mr. Trump’s circle”, Mr. Kuo, Minister of Economic Affairs, Tell to journalists before their departure. Taiwan also hopes to buy more liquefied natural gas at Alaska, He said.
“Taiwan is preparing some gifts for Trump,” said Jeremy Chih-Cheng ChangThe Chief Executive Officer of the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology in Taipei. “They have already indicated some, as you have seen in reports – like buying liquefied natural gas – but there will certainly be others.”
In January, the leaders of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – TSMC, the most advanced flea manufacturer in the world – had interviews with Mr. Trump’s candidate for the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, said that several people knowing The talks that spoke under the cover of anonymity.
In December, Taiwanese officials visiting Washington showed Republican officials and politicians a presentation designed to demonstrate that Taiwan quickly increased military preparations, according to people familiar with these discussions. They met Michael Waltz, then a member of the Florida Congress known to be a fellowship on national security issues, according to one of the people.
Taiwanese officials hope that they will find robust supporters in two men who have deeply criticized China at the Congress: Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, and Mr. Waltz, now Mr. Trump’s national security advisor. But some former civil servants who strongly supported Taiwan during the first term of Mr. Trump were not introduced in his new administration, including Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State.
“It is very revealing that some online hawks hard in Taiwan have been left out,” said Christopher K. JohnsonThe president of the Chinese group Strategies, a consulting company and a former intelligence officer of the United States government. “It seems that Taiwan is betting on some of the bad horses.”
Half a dozen officials ready to occupy management positions in the Pentagon have rejected the tradition of the GOP to support an expansive foreign scope, in favor of the limitation of American military commitments abroad. They represent a doctrine of the ascending foreign policy in a party which, in recent years, has annoyed to devote more military support to Ukraine and pushed the NATO allies to spend more for their soldiers.
In an opinion essay Published last MayMr. Trump’s candidate to serve as an undersecretary for the defense of the Pentagon, Elbridge Colby, warned that Taiwan should not assume that he was essential in the United States. “America has a strong interest in defending Taiwan, but the Americans could survive without it,” he wrote. He and other Pentagon officials suggested that Taiwan should increase his military spending to at least 5% of his economic production, about twice what she currently spends.
The Taiwanese government said it was determined to extend military spending, although many Taiwanese experts and officials question the objective of 5%. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-Te also faces a legislature controlled by opposition legislators who accused his government of spending and fell back into certain parts of this year’s defense budget.
At the same time, Taiwan has his own frustrations with the United States, including the great backlog of Not delivered orders weapons and military equipment on the island.
“I feel pain to be informed of spending more when they have not received what they have already paid,” said Steve YatesA main researcher at the Heritage Foundation, referring to Taiwan. “The United States must repair its defense manufacturing supply chain before they can reasonably exert pressure on others to do and buy more.”
Ana Swanson in Washington and Amy Chang Dog to Taipei contributed the reports.
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