{"id":237893,"date":"2025-02-13T08:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T08:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/13\/taiwan-prepares-for-trumps-tariffs-and-a-changed-washington\/"},"modified":"2025-02-13T08:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T08:36:12","slug":"taiwan-prepares-for-trumps-tariffs-and-a-changed-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/13\/taiwan-prepares-for-trumps-tariffs-and-a-changed-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan Prepares for Trump\u2019s Tariffs, and a Changed Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/13\/multimedia\/13taiwan-trump-01-lkqw\/13taiwan-trump-01-lkqw-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Taiwan Prepares for Trump\u2019s Tariffs, and a Changed Washington\" title=\"Taiwan Prepares for Trump\u2019s Tariffs, and a Changed Washington\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Not so long ago, Taiwan basked in seemingly boundless, bipartisan support in Washington, where the island has long been regarded as a valiant democratic partner against China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now, a few weeks into President Donald J. Trump\u2019s second term, Taiwan is adjusting to a shift in its relationship with the United States, its primary backer \u2014 one that does not focus on shared democratic ideals, and that is more uncertain and transactional. Mr. Trump has accused Taiwan of spending far too little on its own security and of gaining an unfair dominance in making semiconductors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Taiwanese officials and businesspeople have been trying to assure the new administration of their commitment to cooperation. They have traveled to Washington for meetings, bearing charts detailing their military outlays, and attended inauguration events filled with the MAGA faithful. They have floated new deals that Taiwanese companies could broker with American businesses in gas and other fields, and tried to explain the value of Taiwan\u2019s semiconductor manufacturing to American interests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Underlying their efforts is an anxiety over what Mr. Trump may do, for instance, to press Taiwanese companies to move advanced semiconductor production to the United States. Mr. Trump has said he might soon <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=07UtZXVg_ks\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">impose tariffs<\/a> on semiconductors. Taiwanese officials have been preparing to help Taiwanese businesses soften the blow of any such move.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI think Taiwan just convinced itself that they had good relations with the U.S. and they had lots of friends in Congress, and they would be able to weather the storm,\u201d said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gmfus.org\/find-experts\/bonnie-s-glaser\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bonnie S. Glaser<\/a>, the managing director of German Marshall Fund\u2019s Indo-Pacific program, who often speaks with Taiwanese politicians. \u201cWhen Trump made those comments, I think it was a wake up call for people in Taiwan that they really didn\u2019t know what was coming next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Governments around the world are trying to adjust to Mr. Trump\u2019s combative approach. But the stakes for Taipei are especially high. The island depends on the United States for nearly all its major weapons. It sends <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mof.gov.tw\/eng\/singlehtml\/f48d641f159a4866b1d31c0916fbcc71?cntId=f96ba308b4134409ab44845ebef0e933#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20total%20exports%20expanded,amounting%20to%20US%24%2080.61%20billion.\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">nearly a quarter<\/a> of its exports directly to the United States, and Washington is crucial in giving Taiwan political support against Beijing, which claims that Taiwan is its territory and must accept unification \u2014 by force, if deemed necessary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Taiwanese officials and policy advisers said the island would quickly roll out measures to help its businesses hurt by any new U.S. tariffs. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive and provisional nature of the plans, and declined to give details. Some officials have publicly hinted at the preparations. \u201cWe\u2019re preparing for a range of scenarios,\u201d the minister of economic affairs, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moea.gov.tw\/Mns\/english\/EconomicChief\/EconomicChief.aspx?code=E&amp;kind=01&amp;work=Y&amp;menu_id=32895\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Kuo Jyh-Huei<\/a>, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/udn.com\/news\/story\/7238\/8535886\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">told reporters<\/a> when asked about Mr. Trump\u2019s threatened tariffs. \u201cIf we showed our hand now, that would not work to the benefit of everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Even if Mr. Trump holds off on the tariffs, Taiwan faces more pressure from his administration on other issues. They include the island\u2019s big trade surplus with the United States, which climbed to a record $74 billion last year <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bea.gov\/news\/2025\/us-international-trade-goods-and-services-december-and-annual-2024\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">according to U.S. data<\/a>, and its military spending and preparations, which many in Washington see as lacking, even though billions of dollars worth of orders of American military equipment are stuck <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cato.org\/blog\/taiwan-arms-backlog-november-2024-update-himars-delivery-second-trump-administration\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">in a backlog<\/a>. The United States is committed by law to help Taiwan defend itself, and leaves open the possibility of intervening militarily if China tried to conquer the island.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere\u2019s a basic mismatch. We\u2019ve been thinking that America and Taiwan are in a strong partnership, but America under Trump thinks Taiwan doesn\u2019t do enough,\u201d said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hudson.org\/experts\/jason-hsu\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Jason Hsu<\/a>, a former Taiwanese lawmaker and technology investor who is now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. \u201cSooner or later, the Taiwan government will need to show up in town with a package ready to offer Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Publicly, the Taiwanese government is projecting calm confidence about relations with Washington. But Taiwanese officials\u2019 efforts to build bridges into Mr. Trump\u2019s inner circle during trips to Washington last month and in December, have yielded little so far, said three American officials familiar with their attempts, who described the interactions as limited.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Taiwan sent two economic officials to Washington this week to \u201cbetter explain ourselves to Mr. Trump\u2019s circle,\u201d Mr. Kuo, the economic affairs minister, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/udn.com\/news\/story\/7238\/8535886\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">told reporters<\/a> before their departure. Taiwan also hopes to buy more liquefied natural gas from Alaska, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/business\/taiwan-looks-buy-alaskan-natural-gas-seeks-head-us-tariffs-4927721\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">he has said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTaiwan is preparing some presents for Trump,\u201d said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/dset.tw\/en\/teams\/jeremy-chih-cheng-chang\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang<\/a>, the chief executive officer of the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology in Taipei. \u201cThey have already indicated some, as you have seen in news reports \u2014 like buying liquefied natural gas \u2014 but there are sure to be others.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In January, executives from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company \u2014 TSMC, the world\u2019s most advanced chip maker \u2014 held talks with Mr. Trump\u2019s nominee for commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said several people familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In December, Taiwanese officials visiting Washington showed officials and Republican politicians a presentation designed to demonstrate that Taiwan has been rapidly increasing military preparations, according to people familiar with those discussions. They met with Michael Waltz, then a Florida congressman known for being hawkish on matters of national security, according to one of the people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Taiwanese officials remain hopeful that they will find robust supporters in two men who were deeply critical of China in Congress: Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and Mr. Waltz, now Mr. Trump\u2019s national security adviser. But some former officials who strongly supported Taiwan in Mr. Trump\u2019s first term have not been brought into his new administration, including Mike Pompeo, the former secretary of state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s very telling that some hard-line hawks on Taiwan have been left out,&#8221; said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/asiasociety.org\/policy-institute\/christopher-k-johnson\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Christopher K. Johnson<\/a>, the president of China Strategies Group, a consulting firm, and a former U.S. government intelligence officer. \u201cIt looks like Taiwan bet on some of the wrong horses.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Half a dozen or so officials poised to take senior positions in the Pentagon have rejected the G.O.P.\u2019s tradition of backing an expansive foreign reach, in favor of limiting U.S. military commitments abroad. They represent an ascendant foreign policy doctrine in a party that in recent years has chafed at committing more military support to Ukraine, and pushed NATO allies to spend more on their militaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In an opinion essay <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.taipeitimes.com\/News\/editorials\/archives\/2024\/05\/11\/2003817679\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">published last May<\/a>, Mr. Trump\u2019s nominee to serve as the Pentagon\u2019s under secretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby, warned that Taiwan should not assume that it was indispensable to the United States. \u201cAmerica has a strong interest in defending Taiwan, but Americans could survive without it,\u201d he wrote. He and other Pentagon officials have suggested that Taiwan should increase its military spending to at least 5 percent of its economic output, or about twice what it currently is spending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Taiwanese government has said it is committed to expanded military spending, though many Taiwanese experts and officials, privately, question the 5 percent target. President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan also faces a legislature controlled by opposition lawmakers who have accused his government of wasteful spending and reined in parts of this year\u2019s defense budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At the same time, Taiwan has its own frustrations with the United States, including the big backlog of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cato.org\/blog\/taiwan-arms-backlog-november-2024-update-himars-delivery-second-trump-administration\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">undelivered orders<\/a> of arms and military equipment to the island.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI do sense a soreness of being told to spend more when they haven\u2019t received what they\u2019ve already paid for,\u201d said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/staff\/the-honorable-steve-yates\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Steve Yates<\/a>, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, referring to Taiwan. \u201cThe U.S. has to fix its defense manufacturing supply chain before it can reasonably put pressure on others to do and buy more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Ana Swanson<!-- --> in Washington and <!-- -->Amy Chang Chien<!-- --> in Taipei contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/13\/world\/asia\/taiwan-tariffs-trump.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not so long ago, Taiwan basked in seemingly boundless, bipartisan support in Washington, where the island has long been regarded as a valiant democratic partner against China. Now, a few weeks into President Donald J. Trump\u2019s second term, Taiwan is adjusting to a shift in its relationship with the United States, its primary backer \u2014 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/13\/multimedia\/13taiwan-trump-01-lkqw\/13taiwan-trump-01-lkqw-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1417,172455,137233,163575,185413,3096,185412,139536,172703,137131,20071,185414,2251,185411,18165,52,1734,1021,128437,111224,5179],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237893"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237895,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237893\/revisions\/237895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}