Trump’s latest comments about Taiwan — delivered in a Fox News interview shortly after his visit to China — have stirred new anxieties on the island over how Washington might approach Beijing in negotiations involving arms support. In the interview, Trump said he is “holding” a $14 billion Taiwan package “in abeyance” and that it “depends on China.”
In the same exchange, Trump went further in describing the island’s strategic value to the United States. He said Taiwan is “a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly” and added that it is “a lot of weapons,” according to the interview transcript as reported by the Associated Press. The remarks come against the backdrop of China’s position that Taiwan is part of its territory and could be retaken by force if needed, while the U.S. maintains official ties with Beijing and does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state.
Taiwan has not reacted quietly. Taiwan’s presidential office, in comments issued after the interview aired, sought to smooth tensions by emphasizing continuity in Washington’s approach to the island. Karen Kuo, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s presidential office, said in a statement that “that the consistent U.S. policy and position toward Taiwan remain unchanged,” and she said “The Republic of China is a sovereign, independent, democratic country; this is self-evident, and Beijing’s claims are therefore without merit.” Kuo also said Taiwan remains grateful to Trump for his support and stressed that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are stipulated by law.
China’s recent messaging has added to the strain around the Taiwan question. The Associated Press reported that China has framed Taiwan as “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations” during Xi’s summit with Trump, and that the visit is followed by a trip by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing next week. In one of Xi’s strongest statements, Xi warned on Thursday that there would be “clashes and even conflicts” if Taiwan is not handled properly.
Within Taiwan, the worry is that Trump’s framing of arms as leverage could shift the focus away from Taiwan’s defense. William Yang, a Northeast Asia senior analyst for International Crisis Group, said in comments reported by the Associated Press that by conditioning U.S. arms sales on Trump’s negotiations with China, the president may play into “nightmare scenarios” for Taiwan — in which Taiwan is instead “on the menu” rather than “on the negotiating table.”
Trump also linked the Taiwan issue to other areas of pressure and bargaining. While he did not specify what he would want from Beijing in exchange for denying or delaying weapons, the Associated Press reported that Trump has been pressing Beijing to buy more American goods and to help put pressure on Iran. The report also noted that Trump and the U.S. Congress already approved a separate $11 billion arms sales package to Taiwan in December, and that Beijing responded furiously with live-fire drills around the island.
Separate from the arms remarks, Trump’s comments also raised alarms on the island about semiconductors and where chip production should be based. The Associated Press reported that Trump said he would like to see Taiwan’s microchip sector “come into America,” describing such a move as “the greatest thing you can do.” Taiwan’s government has said the island’s semiconductor industry is among the world’s largest and most advanced, and the Associated Press reported that Trump has long pressed Taiwanese chipmakers to base some production in the U.S.
The Associated Press cited commitments already in motion: Taiwan’s leading chipmaker, TSMC, has committed to an investment of $165 billion in a mega-campus in Arizona, and the island’s government, under a sweeping trade agreement with the U.S. earlier this year, pledged $250 billion in investment in the U.S. microchip sector, including TSMC’s previous commitment. Trump also reiterated older accusations that Taiwan “stole” its chipmaking sector from the U.S. decades ago, according to the Associated Press report.
Analysts said Trump’s approach appears to track elements of China’s narrative even as he signaled he does not want to change the overall Taiwan status quo. The Associated Press reported that while Trump did not alter U.S. policy wording on Taiwan during his summit with Xi, he appeared to adopt some of Xi’s framing about Taiwan’s leadership. Xi has branded Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te as a “Taiwan independence diehard,” and has warned that Lai would bring war and destruction to the island.
In Trump’s Fox News interview, Trump said he did not want to see a change in the status quo between Taiwan and Beijing, but he also said “they have somebody there now that wants to go independent,” referring to Lai. Trump added, “They’re going independent because they want to get into a war and they figure they have the United States behind them,” and he said he is not looking to fight a war “thousands of miles away.” Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow with the Atlantic Council, told the Associated Press that Trump’s worrying remarks may reflect “his transactional rhetoric being turned up to the max,” and said that “what matters more is the substance,” as Taiwan “is holding its collective breath” for what changes, if any, follow from the comments.