TAIPEI – Taiwan Vice-Premier Cheng Li-chiun vowed to boost the archipelago’s defence capabilities, including through developing its own military drones, as the Trump administration weakens support for Ukraine, casting doubt over Washington’s commitment to Taipei.
“Taiwan has been paying very close attention to the developments in Ukraine,” Ms Cheng told Bloomberg TV, in response to a question on whether the government is worried about President Donald Trump’s decision to reverse years of US foreign policy to embrace Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“For Taiwan, the most important thing now is how we can take responsibility in the Indo-Pacific region,” Ms Cheng said, calling bolstering such capabilities the basis for peace. “We’re paying close attention to the Trump administration’s policies,” she added, when asked about the outlook for Taiwan’s relationship with the US.
Washington supplies Taiwan with billions of dollars in weapons and its support would be crucial to repelling any Chinese attack on the self-ruled democracy that President Xi Jinping has vowed to claim someday, by force if necessary.
Mr Trump has stunned the world by pressuring Ukraine to strike a deal with Russia, calling into question whether the US is still a reliable partner for Taiwan.
After Russia mounted its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan immediately declared solidarity with Ukraine. Shortly after, President Joe Biden broke with decades of tradition to say the US would defend Taiwan from any Chinese invasion. Mr Trump this week appeared to roll back that pledge, telling reporters he’d never say whether the US would protect Taiwan.
While Ms Cheng would not be drawn on the President’s comments, she stressed that the Trump administration had in statements published since the Republican leader’s inauguration “repeatedly emphasised the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait”.
“This is a consensus shared by most democratic countries,” Ms Cheng said, without directly answering whether Taiwan can still rely on Washington for security.
Beijing already appears to be ramping up pressure on Taiwan as Mr Trump indicates ambivalence. China’s No. 4 official Wang Huning this week unveiled stronger language on the island that suggested more intimidation tactics ahead, while Chinese forces performed drills off its coast.
“We warn the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that holding back the tide with a broom will end only in self-destruction,” Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Feb 27 at a regular briefing in Beijing, referring to the island’s ruling party. “We will come and get you, sooner or later.”
Ms Cheng, who leads a government task force on US-Taiwan ties, stressed that President Lai Ching-te still wanted to deepen ties with the Trump administration across security, technology and trade.
Taiwan has already pledged to increase its defence budget to 3 per cent of gross domestic product, without specifying a timeframe, in a move aimed at showing Washington the democracy is committed to defending itself from China. The island has also indicated its willingness to do more to stay on Mr Trump’s good side, saying it could buy more American energy and agricultural products and weapons to cut into its trade surplus with the US.
Drones are a big part of Taiwan’s self-defence strategy, after Taiwan has seen the central role unmanned devices have played in the fighting in Ukraine. That is part of the reason the government in Taipei is developing a platform to allow civilian-use drones to be transformed for defence purposes, linking them to key communications systems and arming them with the right weapons in the event of a conflict.
“When it comes to drones, we have seen from Ukraine’s experience that they can serve as a force multiplier, offering strategic and tactical advantages in both gray-zone conflicts and military engagements,” Ms Cheng said.
While Chinese drones now hold more than 70 per cent of global market share, Ms Cheng said she hoped the global chip hub can leverage its manufacturing capability and high-tech advantages to rival that supply chain. “If a drone is made in a democratic country, we can ensure its cyber security,” she added.
Taiwan, which ran a record trade surplus with the US in 2024, faces other difficulties from Mr Trump’s return to office. He has threatened hitting goods, including semiconductors, with tariffs of around 25 per cent, posing a major risk to Taiwan’s economy, which has benefited from the artificial intelligence boom creating huge demand for its chips and other high-tech products.
Collaboration with the US could help democratic countries maintain their lead in the high-tech industry, Ms Cheng added. “We want to show that the future Taiwan-US cooperation on high-tech industry is mutually beneficial.” BLOOMBERG
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