TAIPEI, Taiwan – The United States should increase and promote both official and unofficial contacts with the Taiwanese government and military during the war The second term of newly elected President Donald Trumpregardless of Beijing’s inevitable response of “anger” and “hurt feelings,” analysts say.
Exchanges between U.S. officials, scientists and members of think tanks, foundations and institutes will be critical in communicating accurate information to both the American and Taiwanese publics and their respective governments, experts say.
On Thursday, a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute met with Taiwanese President William Lai, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung.
TRUMP CABINET CHOOSE INDULGE TAIWAN, 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 support of our American friends and welcome delegations from the US and like-minded countries,” 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, essential for global security and prosperity.”
David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, told Fox News Digital from Taipei: “We met with the President, Vice President, Secretary of State and other government leaders to celebrate the legacy of President Reagan and promote 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)
Trulio described Taiwan as “a vibrant democracy and an important economic partner of the United States,” adding that visits to Taiwan – by U.S. civil society groups, foundations, think tanks and official U.S. government officials – serve as “valuable opportunities to foster relationships with Taiwan’s leaders are addressing challenges and opportunities and visibly promoting shared values.”
The Reagan Foundation, made up of national security and business leaders, met with representatives from all three of Taiwan’s major political parties, as well as top officials from the Taiwanese government, during a week-long visit to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that has never been ruled by Communist China. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and never misses an opportunity to make bombastic statements against what it calls “separatist forces.”
A screen capture from a video shows the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command launching large-scale joint military exercises around Taiwan with naval ships and military aircraft in China on May 24, 2024. (Feng Hao / PLA / China Military/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s New Year’s 2024 speech included claims that “reunification” was a “historical inevitability,” despite the two sides having been ruled separately for more than seventy years. Beijing has refused to pledge to seek only peaceful options for “unity”, saying it reserves the option to use military force.
Although Foreign Minister Lin did not directly refer to then-Republican candidate Trump’s pre-US election comments that “Taiwan should pay us for defense,” he did not avoid the issue. Commenting 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 total military Taiwan’s spending in 2025 is expected to account for 20% of the central government’s annual budget – higher than that of the US.”
CHINA OFFICIALLY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT TRUMP WIN; UNOFFICIALLY, EXPERTS SAY BEIJING IS IN RATTIES
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 in as many years that the Reagan Foundation has led a delegation to Taiwan. A recent foundation poll found that roughly 70-75% of Americans – both Democrats and Republicans – would support strong action if China made the unwise choice to use military force against Taiwan. For example, a significant majority agreed that if an attack were to occur, the US should immediately recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.
The current reality is that China faces significant domestic challenges and is not in a strong position. In 2022, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives became president despite threats of ‘serious consequences’ Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwanand the Chinese response was hardly ‘terrible’. The following year, after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, then-President Tsai Ing-wen met with then-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy during a stop in California, a historic first meeting between a Taiwanese president and a speaker of the US House on the US soil.
People walk past a billboard welcoming then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in Taipei, Taiwan, on Tuesday, August 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 reveal any new capabilities that the U.S. or Taiwanese defense departments were not already aware of. In his speech after meeting McCarthy in 2023, President Tsai told the media, “To keep the peace, we must be strong,” clearly paraphrasing former President Ronald Reagan.
“China can and will huff and puff about visits, especially when it comes to U.S. government personnel,” Liam Keen told Fox News Digital via email. “But we cannot allow the theatrical mock blockades and firing of missiles into the sea to in any way deter closer exchanges between the US and Taiwan.” Keen, who is part of the US-based NGO Formosan Association for Public Affairs, noted that his organization was strongly supported and was instrumental in helping the Taiwan Travel Act pass in Congress and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in 2018.
The Taiwan Travel Act – which China predictably harshly criticized – ended many previous restrictions on travel to Taiwan by US officials. Keen noted, “The bill passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate. I think China called it a ‘red line’, just encouraged sponsors of the law, like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and (former) Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio., which is exactly the right way to respond to Chinese Communist Party harassment.”
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung speaks to a delegation from the US (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Foreign Minister Lin told Fox News Digital that the Taiwanese government looks forward to working with the new US administration. “Strengthening economic partnerships is also critical,” 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, quoting Lin Lai: “The more secure Taiwan is, the safer the world will be.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A war between the US and China over Taiwan would be catastrophic for both the superpowers and the world. Apart from horrific human losses, Bloomberg Economics in 2024 it was estimated that the ‘price tag’ of such a war could be around US$10 trillion; 10% of global GDP – “the blow from the war in Ukraine, the COVID pandemic and the global financial crisis are incalculable.” Increased contact between the United States and Taiwan to build trust and provide accurate, unbiased information is an important key to ensuring such a conflict never happens.
