Donald Trump says Taiwan should pay more for defence and dodges questions if he would defend the island
Donald Trump demanded the self-governed island of Taiwan pay for US protection, dodged the question of whether he would defend the island from Beijing's military action, and accused the island of taking the semiconductor industry away from the United States.
“Taiwan should pay us for defence,” Trump said, in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “You know, we're no different than an insurance company."
Trump's remarks, made public Tuesday, mark a departure from the stance of President Joe Biden, who has said several times that he would send troops to defend the island, and add uncertainty to Trump's approach to Taiwan at a time his running mate, JD Vance, has called China the “biggest threat” for the United States.
In Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai responded that Taiwan is “willing to take on more responsibility" and would defend itself.
“I believe that as long as we continue to demonstrate (these efforts), we will receive support from more countries,” Cho said, thanking Washington for repeatedly expressing concerns over Taiwan's security, according to Central News Agency, Taiwan's official wire service.
Moments earlier, Cho told the press: «I am sure that everyone knows that the Taiwan-US relations is rock-solid from the past years. The peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region are our common responsibility and goal.”
As the rivalry between Washington and Beijing heats up, Taiwan — an island that broke away from the mainland in 1949 following a civil war — has become one of the
