Since being re-elected, US President Donald Trump has consistently taken concrete action to counter China and to safeguard the interests of the US and other democratic nations.
The attacks on Iran, the earlier capture of deposed of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and efforts to remove Chinese influence from the Panama Canal all demonstrate that, as tensions with Beijing intensify, Washington has adopted a hardline stance aimed at weakening its power.
Iran and Venezuela are important allies and major oil suppliers of China, and the US has effectively decapitated both.
The US has continuously strengthened its military presence in the Philippines. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, after receiving support from Trump for the US-Japan alliance, won the general election with the most votes in history. This highlights strong public support in Japan for Takaichi’s clear strategic stance that a “Taiwan contingency” could amount to a threat to Japan’s national security.
Taken together, these developments clearly demonstrate strategic deployments to counter China — using overwhelming military strength to safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from crossing that line by even a single step.
During the summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) scheduled for late this month, the US might need China to purchase large quantities of soybeans or increase investment and China appears to have room to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip in exchange for trade and economic concessions.
However, in safeguarding US geopolitical, economic and strategic interests, Trump has already demonstrated that, under his “America first” framework, “Taiwan is Taiwan” — separate issues must be addressed one at a time.
It would be impossible to sacrifice Taiwan in exchange for US-China trade benefits.
With Taiwan’s geopolitical position and its critical importance in high technology and maritime shipping, if China were to attack Taiwan, global GDP could fall by US$10 trillion, plunging the world into an economic crisis comparable to the Great Depression. The US would likely weaken as a result and the economic losses and severe blow to overall US national power would far exceed any economic benefits Washington might hope to gain from Beijing.
Due to Taiwan’s strategic importance in the Indo-Pacific region, its central role in advanced semiconductor technology and its position in global maritime shipping — alongside the fact that Taiwanese semiconductors are a key force behind making the US “great again” — to safeguard its economic interests and its strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, the US is likely to follow the models applied in Iran and Venezuela.
It would continue strengthening its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, increase the quality and quantity of arms sales to Taiwan and deepen military cooperation with Taipei, using overwhelming force to protect peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
In light of this, pro-China and anti-US politicians from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) should come to their senses.
The US is using overwhelming military strength to safeguard its interests.
Meanwhile, China’s economy is faltering, with foreign companies and Taiwanese businesses continuously withdrawing.
If the pan-blue camp remains oblivious to international realities, rejects public opinion and blindly places its hopes on China while opposing the US — such as by blocking the NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.55 billion) special defense budget and hindering US-Taiwan trade agreements — it could become an enemy of the public.
Such behavior would not only endanger Taiwan’s national security and put it at odds with the US, but would harm the KMT’s prospects in elections this year and in 2028.
Michael Lin is a retired diplomat formerly posted in the US.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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