Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) vowed to boost Taiwan’s defense capabilities including developing its own military drones, as the administration of US President Donald Trump weakens support for Ukraine casting doubt over Washington’s commitment to Taipei.
“Taiwan has been paying close attention to the developments in Ukraine,” Cheng told Bloomberg TV, in response to a question on whether the government is worried about Trump’s decision to reverse years of US foreign policy to embrace Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“For Taiwan, the most important thing now is how we can take responsibility in the Indo-Pacific region,” she said, calling bolstering such capabilities the basis for peace. “We’re paying close attention to the Trump administration’s policies,” Cheng added, when asked about the outlook for Taiwan’s relationship with the US.
Photo: Tsung Chang-chin, Taipei Times
Washington supplies Taiwan with billions of US dollars in weapons and its support would be crucial to repelling any Chinese attack on Taiwan which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has vowed to claim someday, by force if necessary. Trump has stunned the world by pressuring Ukraine to strike a deal with Russia, calling into question whether the US is still a reliable partner for Taiwan.
After Russia mounted its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan soon declared solidarity with Ukraine. Shortly after, then US President Joe Biden broke with decades of tradition to say the US would defend Taiwan from any Chinese invasion. Trump this week appeared to roll back that pledge, telling reporters he would never say whether the US would protect Taiwan.
While Cheng would not be drawn on Trump’s comments, she stressed that the Trump administration had in statements published since the Republican leader’s inauguration “repeatedly emphasized the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait.”
“This is a consensus shared by most democratic countries,” Cheng said, without directly answering whether Taiwan can still rely on Washington for security.
Beijing already appears to be ramping up pressure on Taiwan as Trump indicates ambivalence. China’s number four official Wang Huning this week unveiled stronger language on Taiwan that suggested more intimidation tactics ahead, while Chinese forces performed drills off its southwestern coast.
“We warn the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that holding back the tide with a broom will only end up in self-destruction,” Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian (吳謙) said yesterday at a regular briefing in Beijing. “We will come and get you, sooner or later.”
Cheng, who leads a government task force on US-Taiwan ties, stressed President William Lai (賴清德) still wanted to deepen ties with the Trump administration on security, technology and trade.
Taiwan has already pledged to increase its defense budget to 3% of gross domestic product, without specifying a timeframe, in a move aimed at showing Washington the democracy is committed to defending itself from China. Taiwan has also indicated its willingness to do more to stay on Trump’s good side, saying it could buy more US energy and agricultural products and weapons to cut into its trade surplus with the US.
Drones are a big part of Taiwan’s self-defense strategy, after Taiwan saw the central role unmanned devices have played in the fighting in Ukraine. That is part of the reason the government in Taipei is developing a platform to allow civilian-use drones to be transformed for defense purposes.
“When it comes to drones, we have seen from Ukraine’s experience that they can serve as a force multiplier, offering strategic and tactical advantages in both gray-zone conflicts and military engagements,” Cheng said.
While Chinese drones now hold more than 70% of global market share, Cheng said she hoped the global chip hub can leverage its manufacturing capability and high-tech advantages to rival that supply chain. “If a drone is made in a democratic country, we can ensure its cybersecurity,” she added.
Taiwan, which ran a record trade surplus with the US last year, faces other difficulties from Trump’s return to office. He has threatened to hit goods including semiconductors with tariffs of around 25%, which would pose a major risk to Taiwan’s economy that has benefited from the AI boom creating huge demand for its chips and other high-tech products.
Collaboration with the US could help democratic countries maintain their lead in the high-tech industry, Cheng added. “We want to show that the future Taiwan-US cooperation on the high-tech industry is mutually beneficial.”
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