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US President Donald Trump’s confrontational policy towards China during his second term does not necessarily mean support for Taiwan, but it creates more opportunities than threats for the island.
This opinion was expressed by Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Jialong in an interview with the Taipei Times.
“The focus of Trump’s second term will be on countering China. And while this does not necessarily mean support for Taiwan, the stance of this US administration provides Taiwan with opportunities to find common interests with the US,” Lin said.
According to him, the Taiwanese government is able to cooperate effectively with Washington and focus on issues where the interests of both sides coincide.
“Taiwan’s foreign policy is not based on the interests of the United States, but on Taiwan’s national interests,” the minister said.
Taiwan takes Trump’s statements seriously, but not literally
Lin also commented on Trump’s controversial remarks during the presidential campaign, including his accusations that Taiwanese companies were “stealing” the US chip industry and that they were not providing enough financial support for the US military presence in the region.
“Taiwan should take Trump’s words seriously, but not literally. “Trump 2.0 is showing more consistency in his policies, so President Trump’s second term offers Taiwan more opportunities than threats,” the foreign minister said.
His optimism is based on the fact that most of the aspects of Taiwan-US cooperation expanded during the Joe Biden administration were laid down during Trump’s first term in 2016-2020. In addition, many of the senior national security officials on Trump’s team are friendly to Taiwan.
Trump’s rhetoric towards China remains tough, which means that Taiwan has a chance to use the geopolitical situation to strengthen its position in the international arena.
