Thursday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea, unexpectedly ended without the Taiwan issue arising. Many observers were worried it could be an issue at the meeting.
The lack of a mention might be a result of Taiwan’s steady and strategic approach combined with the US side’s unwavering stance.
Taipei has remained highly vigilant, but has avoided acting impulsively. President William Lai (賴清德) clearly defined Taiwan’s role at this year’s APEC summit as one of sharing economic resilience, industrial experience and a human-centered approach to artificial intelligence (AI).
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) repeatedly emphasized that, while Taiwan would pay close attention to the Trump-Xi talks, it would not be overly concerned. That caution and composure are precisely what is necessary when handling interactions between major powers.
In the days leading up to the meeting, statements from the US further reinforced the sense of stability. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said that Taiwan would not be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China trade talks, saying: “No one is contemplating that.”
Asked on Tuesday whether Taiwan would come up at the meeting, Trump himself said: “Taiwan is Taiwan.”
During his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, Trump reiterated the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and US opposition to attempts to unilaterally change the “status quo,” the Presidential Office said.
These brief but unequivocal remarks conveyed two important messages — first, the US would not dilute its commitment to Taiwan in exchange for a deal, and second, the summit’s main focus would remain trade and strategic competition, not the Taiwan issue.
Beijing’s attitude appeared noticeably more restrained. Xi recently concluded the fourth plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th congress, while his country faces a sluggish economy, mounting local debt and continued instability within the ranks of its military.
Given those circumstances, bringing up the Taiwan issue would only put China at a disadvantage in the trade talks, providing Washington with more leverage.
By strategically avoiding confrontation, Beijing sought to maintain a facade of stability — but in reality, it only exposed its lack of any meaningful leverage.
Although Trump praised Xi after the meeting and expressed confidence in his commitment to address issues such as fentanyl, semiconductors, the Ukraine war and investment in the US, all are topics that have already been repeatedly addressed.
Over the past year, Beijing has continuously promised to cooperate, but consistently failed to follow through. If this time is no different, the US-China rivalry is likely to flare up again after a cooling-off period.
Overall, the Trump-Xi meeting slightly eased tensions in the US-China trade war, but did little to fundamentally improve bilateral relations.
For Taiwan, China’s actions are less important than how Taiwan itself can steadily demonstrate its economic resilience and democratic values.
A challenge will arise if Trump visits China next year, but maintaining a composed and strategic stance is Taiwan’s most reliable force in navigating uncertainty.
Wang Hung-jen is a professor in National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Political Science.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
The government and local industries breathed a sigh of relief after Shin Kong Life Insurance Co last week said it would relinquish surface rights for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to Nvidia Corp. The US chip-design giant’s plan to expand its local presence will be crucial for Taiwan to safeguard its core role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and to advance the nation’s AI development. The land in dispute is owned by the Taipei City Government, which in 2021 sold the rights to develop and use the two plots of land, codenamed T17 and T18, to the
Taiwan’s first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed on Tuesday evening at a hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), trigging nationwide emergency measures and stripping Taiwan of its status as the only Asian country free of classical swine fever, ASF and foot-and-mouth disease, a certification it received on May 29. The government on Wednesday set up a Central Emergency Operations Center in Taichung and instituted an immediate five-day ban on transporting and slaughtering hogs, and on feeding pigs kitchen waste. The ban was later extended to 15 days, to account for the incubation period of the virus
The ceasefire in the Middle East is a rare cause for celebration in that war-torn region. Hamas has released all of the living hostages it captured on Oct. 7, 2023, regular combat operations have ceased, and Israel has drawn closer to its Arab neighbors. Israel, with crucial support from the United States, has achieved all of this despite concerted efforts from the forces of darkness to prevent it. Hamas, of course, is a longtime client of Iran, which in turn is a client of China. Two years ago, when Hamas invaded Israel — killing 1,200, kidnapping 251, and brutalizing countless others
Art and cultural events are key for a city’s cultivation of soft power and international image, and how politicians engage with them often defines their success. Representative to Austria Liu Suan-yung’s (劉玄詠) conducting performance and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s (盧秀燕) show of drumming and the Tainan Jazz Festival demonstrate different outcomes when politics meet culture. While a thoughtful and professional engagement can heighten an event’s status and cultural value, indulging in political theater runs the risk of undermining trust and its reception. During a National Day reception celebration in Austria on Oct. 8, Liu, who was formerly director of the
RSS