Despite widespread concern on the island that US President Donald Trump might use the East Asian democracy as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with China, a top Taiwanese official has stated that Taiwan has faith in the support of the US.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng stated that “Taiwan and the US have a very strong and solid relationship, and Taiwan has cross-party support from the US Congress.”
“The US and Taiwan have unprecedentedly close relations,” said Chiu, whose cabinet-level portfolio covers Taiwan’s relations with mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Chiu claimed that it was still too early to fully assess the effects of the second Trump administration.
Since it has been less than three months, the Taiwan government will continue to monitor the Trump administration, he said through an interpreter.
The government of Taiwan consistently adheres to the principles of preserving our freedom, democracy, and sovereignty.
Trump overturned a longstanding rule that US and Taiwanese presidents do not speak directly when he accepted a congratulatory phone call from then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.
With numerous delegations of Democratic and Republican lawmakers visiting Taiwan in recent years, relations between the US and Taiwan have remained strong throughout Trump’s first term and under former US President Joe Biden.
Trump has launched a number of insults to Taiwan since returning to the White House, despite the US Secretary of State’s unwavering support for Taiwan.
The US president has repeatedly called Taiwan “a thief” and said Taipei should pay for its own defense, and threatened to impose a “100 percent tax” on Taiwan’s top chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) if it does not expand US-based manufacturing.
Trump also stepped up existing steel and aluminum tariffs on its exports, expanded existing ones, and hit Taiwan with a 32 percent “reciprocal” tariff, which has been halted until July, among other measures.
The US does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China views as belonging to its own territory, like most nations do.
However, despite the law’s prohibition against directly intervening in a conflict, Washington is determined to support the island’s defense.
Trump’s “America First” rhetoric and politics have sparked concern among many Taiwanese over his potential abandonment of Taiwan in exchange for concessions in trade negotiations with China, despite Taipei’s wait-and-see philosophy.
Only 39.2% of respondents in a March survey from the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation said they believed the US would send troops to defend Taiwan, compared to a record high of 65 percent in 2021.
Chiu said he thinks Washington would never accept an “unreasonable request” from Beijing to alter Taiwan’s relationship terms despite these concerns.
Although the ruling Communist Party has never held any direct control over Taiwan, China has pledged to “reunify” the island with the Chinese mainland, using force if necessary.
Taiwan, according to Chiu, has a lot to offer the US, from its strategic position in Washington’s first island chain defense plan to its position as the world’s top chip producer.
We believe we can demonstrate to Americans that Taiwan and the US are unchangeable and a very good partner, Chiu said.
Although Beijing and Taipei have been informally separated since the Democratic Progressive Party’s 2016 election, Chiu’s cabinet-level portfolio is in charge of the planning and implementation of Taiwan’s cross-strait policy.
Over the past nine years, Beijing has been putting more military, economic, and diplomatic pressure on the island. It views the DPP as “separatists.”
tactics used by the “United Front”
Chiu claimed that Taiwan’s government is still attempting to communicate with Beijing through official channels as well as through business-related, nonprofit, and academic intermediaries.
Chiu, however, criticized China’s communications with Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT), which he characterized as part of Beijing’s “divide and rule” strategy and “United Front” tactics.
Despite polls showing most Taiwanese favoring the status quo of de facto independence, the term “United Front” refers to both an official branch of the Chinese Communist Party and, conversely, activities carried out by party members to advance the CCP agenda.
“Taiwanese society constantly exhibits United Front tactics, infiltration, and division. They can be found everywhere, Chiu asserted.
In 2024, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau charged 64 people with espionage, primarily serving military personnel and veterans, compared to 48 in 2023 and ten in 2022.
Other threats, such as the recent increase in Chinese military exercises and maneuvers near Taiwan, are more immediately apparent, Chiu said.
China flew more than 5,000 military sorties in Taiwan’s direction in 2024, according to Chiu, including about 3, 000 that flew over the “median line” of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that divides China and Taiwan.
Beijing also sent more than 2,500 warships in Taiwan’s direction, some of whom entered its territorial waters, he claimed, referring to the area’s maximum 24 nautical miles (44 kilometers) from shore, which extends to the territorial sea.
Chiu expressed his concern for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s leadership style.
Xi, who has a record-breaking third term now, is sometimes regarded as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, the country’s first and foremost modern leader.
“This new kind of authoritarianism is the Xi regime.” He has been promoting fanatical nationalism, which is why we are witnessing wolf warrior diplomacy and military hegemony,” Chiu said.
“This nationalism poses a serious threat to its neighbouring countries,” Chiu said, adding that Mainland China is not a very rational decision-making party at the moment.
