Taiwan-US relations are solid, and both sides are in agreement that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region are everyone’s concern, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday following comments by former US president Donald Trump that Taiwan “should pay” for US defense.
Taiwan is thankful to the US for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations, Cho told a news conference in Taipei.
“I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business,” Trump told Bloomberg on June 25 in an interview that was published on Tuesday.
Photo: CNA
“I think Taiwan should pay us for defense,” Trump added. “You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything.”
In the long run, the continuation of policies demonstrating that Taiwan is shouldering the responsibility of being a part of the international community would win it the support of more nations, Cho said.
Taiwan occupies a critical position in the high-tech supply chain, and while manufacturing is spread around the world, research and development would remain in Taiwan, Cho said when asked about the government’s response if Trump were to return to the White House and demand that Taipei relocate research and development to the US.
Photo: EPA
The TAIEX closed nearly 1 percent lower yesterday. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), the most heavily weighted firm on the index, declined 2.4 percent ahead of its scheduled second-quarter earnings release today after adding more than 9 percent this month through Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the remarks of the presumptive Republican candidate for the US presidential election on Nov. 5.
The next administration enters the White House in January next year.
Trump is to accept his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention today.
Democratic Progressive Party caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said she could not comment on Trump’s interview.
US-Taiwan relations are built on solid foundations of equal and mutually beneficial development in military, economic and cultural interactions, Wu said.
The public should take note of Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, who has repeatedly stated that the US would do its best to bolster interactions with Taiwan across all sectors instead of focusing on Trump’s one comment, she added.
Pegatron chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) said that Taiwan should refrain from commenting on US elections and should respect the democratic systems of other nations.
Instead of focusing on campaign talk in the US, Taiwan should instead make sure that whoever is elected would continue to understand the importance of Taiwan and its role as a benign and contributing member of the international community, Tung said.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that Trump’s comments were understandable, as he is still on the campaign trail and is focused on delivering the message that he is all about US interests.
President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration must clarify how it intends to handle Taiwan-US ties after the US elections, Huang said.
Trump’s comments clearly indicate that relations between countries cannot continue if one side is perpetually giving, he added.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
RSS