Former US president Donald Trump stated that he believes the self-governed island of Taiwan should pay for US protection.
In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, the interviewer asked Trump whether he would defend Taiwan against China if he wins the 2024 presidential election. Trump claimed that the US is “no different than an insurance company” and Taiwan “doesn’t give us anything.”
“No. 1, Taiwan. I know the people very well, respect them greatly,” Trump said. “[…] I think, Taiwan should pay us for defense.”
In response to Trump’s comments, premier Cho Jung-tai shared in a press briefing that Taiwan was grateful for the US support. Cho emphasized their good relations with the US and added that Taiwan has been increasing its capabilities to defend itself.
“Taiwan and the US share a common responsibility for the Indo-Pacific region of the Taiwan Strait, and we are willing to do more to defend ourselves and protect our security,” Cho stated.
The US sells Taiwan billions of dollars in weapons to be defend itself from China’s increasing military aggressions, according to The Guardian. These sales increased under Trump’s presidential term, but the comments from Tuesday suggest support for Taiwan may be withdrawn if he were to win the upcoming election.
Trump said he didn’t feel “so secure” over the Taiwan Strait, where Beijing has “been very aggressive and got ships all over the place.” He then stated that Taiwan took away “almost 100%” of America’s semiconductor industry.
According to The Guardian, Taiwan produces more than 90% of the world’s most advanced chips, mostly through the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), the world’s largest producer and a major Apple and Nvidia supplier.
CNBC reports the US as having once been a major player in semiconductor manufacturing, but shifting trends in the industry such as companies moving away from making their own chips, led to the rise of TSMC and other major Taiwanese firms. Taiwan is expected to account for 66% of production of the world’s most advanced chips this year, while the US is expected to account for 6% of manufacturing.
Trump added that the US is giving Taiwan “billions of dollars to build new chips in our country, and then they’re going to take that too […] they’ll build it but then they’ll bring it back to their country.”
Trump’s approach to US-Taiwan relations adds uncertainty at a time his running mate, JD Vance, has called China the biggest threat to the United States in an interview with FOX News.
“Is China going to be more dissuaded by us thumping our chests and acting tough in Europe, or are they going to be more dissuaded by us having the weapons necessary to prevent them from invading Taiwan?” Vance asked.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden pledged to continue sending troops to defend Taiwan. The Biden administration approved a $360 million weapons sale to Taiwan last month, sending the island hundreds of armed drones, missile equipment and related support material.
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