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.
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