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TAIPEI, Taiwan – The United States should increase and promote official and unofficial contacts with the government of Taiwan and the Taiwanese military during President-elect Donald Trump’s second termregardless of Beijing’s inevitable response of “anger” and “hurt feelings,” analysts say.
Exchanges between American officials, academics and members of think tanks, foundations and institutes will be crucial in conveying accurate information to both the American and Taiwanese public and their respective governments, experts say.
On Thursday, a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute met with Taiwan President William Lai, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung.
TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS DELIGHT TAIWAN AND SEND A STRONG SIGNAL TO CHINA
Taiwan President William Lai (right) meets with President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute David Trulio in Taipei. (Official photo by I Chen Lin/Office of the President)
“We deeply appreciate the bipartisan support of our American friends and welcome delegations from the United States and like-minded nations,” Lin told Fox News Digital in exclusive comments.
The foreign minister added: “These visits demonstrate concrete support for Taiwan and contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is essential for global security and prosperity.”
Speaking from Taipei, David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, told Fox News Digital: “We met with the president, vice president, foreign minister and other government leaders to promote the legacy of the President Reagan and our shared values of freedom and democracy, economic opportunity and peace through strength.
President-elect Donald Trump delivers remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
Describing Taiwan as “a vibrant democracy and a key economic partner of the United States,” Trulio added that visits to Taiwan (by civil society groups, foundations, think tanks, and official U.S. government officials to Taiwan) serve as “valuable opportunities to maintain relationships with Taiwan’s leaders address challenges and opportunities and visibly promote shared values.”
The Reagan Foundation, made up of business and national security leaders, met with representatives of Taiwan’s three major political parties, as well as senior Taiwanese government officials, during a week-long visit to Taiwan, a self-governing island that has never been governed by communist china. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and never misses an opportunity to make bombastic statements against what it calls “secessionist forces.”
A screenshot captured from a video shows the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army launching large-scale joint military exercises around Taiwan with warships and military aircraft in China on May 24, 2024. (Feng Hao / PLA / China Military/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2024 New Year’s speech included claims that “reunification” was a “historic inevitability,” even though the two sides were governed separately for more than 70 years. Beijing has refused to commit to pursuing only peaceful options for “unity” and says it reserves the option of using military force.
While Foreign Minister Lin did not directly reference then-Republican candidate Trump’s pre-US election comments that “Taiwan should pay us for defense,” he did not duck the issue. In comments to Fox News Digital, Lin said: “Taiwan has increased its defense spending by more than 80% since 2016, reaching $20 billion in 2024. In 2025, if the special budget for military procurement is included, the Taiwan’s total military spending is expected to account for 20% of the central government’s annual budget, more than that of the United States.”
CHINA OFFICIALLY ‘DON’T CARE’ ABOUT TRUMP’S WIN; Off the record, experts say Beijing is shaken
President William Lai meets with a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. (Official photo by I Chen Lin/Office of the President)
This is the second time the Reagan Foundation has led a delegation to Taiwan in as many years. A recent poll by the foundation showed that approximately 70% to 75% of Americans (both Democrats and Republicans) would support crackdowns should China make the reckless decision to use military force against Taiwan. For example, a significant majority agreed that, in the event of an attack, the United States should immediately recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.
The current reality is that China faces significant internal challenges and is not in a position of strength. In 2022, despite threats of “dire consequences,” then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwanand the Chinese response was not “disastrous.” The following year, after Republicans took control of the House, then-Speaker Tsai Ing-wen met with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a stop in California, a historic first meeting between a Taiwanese president. and a speaker of the US House of Representatives on the United States. floor.
People walk past a sign welcoming then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
China responded with three days of war games and a simulated blockade of the island, but those exercises and maneuvers did not demonstrate new capabilities that the US or Taiwanese defense departments were not already aware of. After meeting with McCarthy in 2023, President Tsai told the media, “To preserve peace, we must be strong,” clearly paraphrasing former President Ronald Reagan.
“China can and will do so for visits, especially those involving current US government personnel,” Liam Keen told Fox News Digital via email. “But we cannot allow the theater of simulated blockades and rocket launches into the sea to in any way deter closer exchanges between the United States and Taiwan.” Keen, who is part of the US-based NGO Formosa Association for Public Affairs, said his organization strongly supported and was instrumental in getting the Taiwan Travel Act passed in Congress and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump. in 2018.
The Taiwan Travel Act – which China predictably harshly criticized – removed many previous restrictions on travel to Taiwan by US officials. Keen noted that “The law passed unanimously in the United States Senate. I think China, by calling it a ‘red line,’ only emboldened the bill’s sponsors, such as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and (former) Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, which is exactly the right way to respond to harassment by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung speaks to a US delegation. (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Foreign Minister Lin told Fox News Digital that Taiwan’s government looked forward to working with the new US administration. “Strengthening economic partnerships is also crucial,” he said. “Taiwanese companies, such as TSMC with its $65 billion investment in Arizona, are increasingly investing in the US.” Lin noted that Taiwanese President Lai has emphasized the importance of Taiwan’s global role, and Lin quoted Lai as saying: “The safer Taiwan is, the safer the world will be.”
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A war between the United States and China over Taiwan would be catastrophic for both the superpowers and the world. Apart from the terrible human losses, Bloomberg Economy estimated in 2024 that the “price” of a war of this type could be around 10 trillion dollars; 10% of global GDP, “eclipsing the blow of the war in Ukraine, the COVID pandemic and the global financial crisis.” Increased contact between the United States and Taiwan to build trust and convey accurate, bias-free information is an important key to ensuring that such a conflict never occurs.
