Although the government’s “America First” rhetoric casts doubt on US commitment to Taiwan’s defense, polls indicate that a majority of Americans support the United States defending Taiwan if attacked by China.
As the island faces growing external threats, internal legitimacy becomes not just a democratic virtue but a national security imperative.
US-Taiwan trade negotiations are going to be difficult: not just because of the diplomatic restrictions on Washington-Taipei communications, but also because of the nature of the tariffs the Trump Administration is applying.
Because true loyalty is never enforced. It is earned, sustained and shared. And in a fragile world, that may be Taiwan’s most powerful form of resilience.
Only by ensuring that more international actors explicitly reject China’s misuse of Resolution 2758 can the world effectively counter any justification Beijing might seek for military aggression against Taiwan, thereby securing regional stability and global security.
While we must tailor our signals carefully for Trump, we cannot afford to jeopardize our relationships with like-minded democracies in the process.