Trump Taiwan policy

U.S. military aid and strategic support for Taiwan are being reshaped. What will that mean for arms sales, military assistance, and strategic commitments?

Updates to a State Department factsheet on Taiwan could indicate a tactical adjustment or a strategic shift. 

President Lai Ching-te is looking to work around the KMT budget bill by proposing special budgets to keep defense spending intact.

The settlement of the Ukraine conflict in a manner reminiscent of the 1938 Munich Agreement could entice more states to resolve disputes militarily. Taiwan especially looks ever more vulnerable. 

Taipei is bracing for reduced patience and heightened pressure from the incoming Trump administration.

A PLA command structure in disarray and a hawkish Trump Cabinet could lead to disastrous miscalculation over Taiwan.

Insights from Mor Sobol.

Trump’s return to the White House, along with his hawkish advisers, will have Beijing expecting a conflict – and acting accordingly.

Taiwan hopes to keep ties with the U.S. stable, and Trump's slate of appointees is a mixed bag in that regard.

Insights from Elizabeth Freund Larus.

The Republican candidate has needled Taipei about its reliance on the United States, but Taiwan can still count on U.S. support if Trump returns to the White House.

Biden’s vice president seems less enthusiastic about fully committing the United States to defend Taiwan. For that matter, so does her rival in the presidential race.

For the first time since 1979, Taiwan’s representative in the U.S. received an official invitation to a U.S. presidential inauguration.

The canceled visit by Ambassador Kelly Craft spared Taiwan an enlarged domestic controversy over its handling of the final days of the Trump administration.

The announcement itself was not unexpected, but the timing -- just 11 days before a new administration takes office -- was.

Craft will become the latest – and last – high-ranking Trump administration official to visit Taiwan.

Worry about the reliability of Democratic presidents is based on a selective reading of past and current events.

Joe Biden projects as a strong supporter of Taiwan should he win the presidency, but people in Taiwan still feel jilted by perceived slights by past Democratic administrations.

Insights from Elizabeth Freund Larus.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Thursday her country would seek a trade agreement and closer security ties with the United States.

Insights from Russell Hsiao

With the world focused on COVID-19, Trump signed the TAIPEI Act into law.

Insights from Jonathan Sullivan.

Amid President Trump's other moves, don't forget the possibility of the frozen conflict over Taiwan turning hot.