On the first day of the National Congress, filled with the Chinese national people, the annual meeting on the agenda on rubber legislation in the country announced that this year it would increase its military expenses by almost $ 250 billion, which has increased more than 7%as it continues to modernize its armed forces. Beijing quickly strengthens his military while pressing, with Enhancement of assertivenessTerritorial claims regarding the controversial islands across the South -Kita Sea – and its claims to the Democratic Taiwan Island.
China considers Taiwan the province of Renaeat, and President Xi Jinping has promised to restore Beijing's control over the island for many years, if necessary. But Taiwan has had a vital backup from its largest international partner for decades for decades, which is obliged to provide the island in accordance with the internal American law.
US warships and planes constantly introduce the waters and sky of the South -China Sea around Taiwan, demonstrating that the US military is the right to free navigation in the international space. Freedom of Navigation Operations has led to some tense meetings In recent years.
Over the past week, the Taiwan government and many of the 23 million people have observed and considered President Trump's aggressive position with Ukraine, and his explosion with the president of Loladimir Zelensky at the White House last Friday, in particular.
“I think these events are in their aggregate deeply nervous for the residents of Taiwan,” said Russell HSIA, Executive Director of the Taiwan Global Institute in Washington, Colombia District, CBS News said. “I think this would seem to be the US's support from Ukraine, raises some doubts among the people in Taiwan, whether it can be potentially with them, in the heat of the battle against China – to have its most important and main security partner to pull out the rug from under them.”
Taiwan's story with the US and with Trump
Since 1950 – The year after the Communist forces won China's civil war against nationalists who then fled to Taiwan and eventually created their own democratic administration – the US sold more than $ 50 billion, including Himars According to data Council on Foreign Relations Analytical Center.
The Taiwan government has allocated almost 2.5% of its budget for 2025, almost $ 20 billion, for protection.
But the pressure in Trump administration for Taiwan has made more – similar to the pressure aimed at the United Kingdom and The European Union strengthens the cost of defense As the White House seeks to transfer the financial burden to support Ukraine to its neighbors and force NATO allies to bring more to the Alliance.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump's nominee on the deputy defense of politics said Taiwan should spend four times on defense.
“I agree with President Trump that they should be (costs) more than 10%, or at least something in this ballroom park, really focused on their defense,” said the Elbridge Nominee Committee on the Senate Armed Services.
Taiwan President Li Ching-TE quickly suggested proposing to defend his administration to more than 3%, which will require the approval of the Taiwan Congress, the legislative yuan.
Talai did not talk directly to Mr. Trump since the US president won the re -election in November, but he conveyed his congratulations through Mr. Trump's former national security adviser, Ambassador Robert O 'Bryna.
It was in sharp contrast to the predecessor of Lay, the Ing-Wen. Mr. Trump, during the weeks after the first victory in the 2016 elections, contradicted the congratulatory call of Tag-Thai Tsa, punching the decades of the US diplomatic protocol, which was aimed at maintaining relations with Beijing.
At the time, Mr Trump's transitional group stated that the presidents talked about “close economic, political and safe ties” that Beijing was angry.
Until this point, no US president has been talking directly to the Taiwanese leader since 1979, when Washington has shifted its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China during the Nixon administration.
Taiwan may have a “best hand” with Trump
Although the difference in their personal interactions can raise a certain concern in Taipei, Hsiao, in the Global Taiwan Institute, this week caused anxiety, using its own framing Mr. Trump as a map game, after he said Zeleskyy that Ukraine “does not have cards”.
“Taiwan has a better hand in terms of what it can offer the United States in terms of mutual bilateral relations,” HSIA said. “It remains a reliable economic partnership, a strong security relationship and is certainly a very important high -tech industry.”
Despite its size – Taiwan covers much less land than West Virginia – a densely populated island – one of the main trading partners. Us Government dataIn 2024 it was the seventh largest, total estimated trade worth almost $ 160 billion.
This week, when critical minerals of Ukraine are engaged in the US hanging in an unsigned limbThe most important, most valuable company in Taiwan, TSMC, which supplies semiconductors to some of the world's largest companies, including Nvidia, Apple and Google, has agreed with the new 100 billion dollars deal with Mr Trump Build five new semiconductor facilities in Arizona.
President Trump said “to create thousands of jobs, many thousands of jobs and they work for highly paid work.”
He said the announcement would lead to semiconductor investments in Taiwan to approximately $ 165 billion.
“We are going to make a lot of chips to support AI progress and support the progress of smartphones, and we thank President Trump for support again,” said the TSMC CC CC Wei CEO, standing next to the president in the White House.
Samuel Carum/Sipa/Bloomberg/Getty
Mr. Trump often accused Taiwan of “theft” in the American semiconductor and reception of US jobs.
With the signed agreement, Mr. Trump said TSMC will now be insured by 25% of the tariffs he charges in the foreign semiconductor.
The transaction probably sighed with relief from the Taipei leaders, but with more persistent, much larger and more armed China in less than 100 miles, they will hardly summarize their guard.
“This is a very key to Taipei, his leaders to support peace and (be) cool, aimed at fighting Trump administration,” said Hsiao CBS News. “But we need to make more to make sure the US relations in Taiwan, which are of course, are the most important partnership on Taiwan's security, remain reliable and strong at Trump's administration.”
