By Ben Blanchard and Jeanny Kao / Reuters, TAIPEI
The US will continue its friendly approach toward Taiwan in the next US administration and Taiwan would work to prevent China “making trouble” during the transition, a senior Taiwanese security official said yesterday.
Former US president Donald Trump, the Republican candidate who claimed victory in Tuesday’s vote against US Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, made comments on the campaign trail that Taiwan should pay to be protected and also accused the nation of “stealing” American semiconductor business.
Taiwan has faced military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including four major rounds of war games in the past two years.
National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen speaks at a meeting of the Foreign and National Defense Committee at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: CNA
National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) spoke to reporters at the legislature in Taipei ahead of the announcement of Trump’s win early yesterday morning.
“On relations across the Taiwan Strait, we believe that the United States will continue its current approach of constraining China and being friendly to Taiwan,” Tsai said.
Taiwan will continue to communicate with the current administration, focusing on key issues for cooperation “in the next phase,” and work with international partners to exchange information on China’s intentions and military movements during the transition, he said.
“This is as to prevent the Chinese communists from taking advantage of the transition of the US government and to prevent them from making trouble during the transition,” he said.
Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said that the government was paying great attention to the election and making preparations no matter who won.
However, Taiwan-US economic ties are deep and would not be easy to change, and the effect on the economy would be small irrespective of who the next president is, Kuo said.
The Office of Trade Negotiations said that Taiwan and the US have channels of communication on trade issues that have long been in place, adding that it hopes that both sides would continue to have constructive dialogue, and foster deeper economic and trade relations.
The US-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative was launched in June 2022, with the first batch of agreements signed in June last year on customs and border procedures, regulatory practices and small businesses.
The latest round of talks on the second batch of agreements began in May. Taiwan is still working to have the five agreements take effect this year, ahead of the new US president taking office on Jan. 20 next year, a trade official said on condition of anonymity.
The official also expressed hope that talks on the second round of agreements on agricultural, labor and environmental issues would continue as planned, as well as the third round on standards, state-owned enterprises, nonmarket policies and digital trade.
Later, at about 4pm when the US election result looked settled, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) congratulated Trump on Facebook, saying that the party has long enjoyed close ties with both major parties in the US.
The KMT hopes for a more robust relationship between Taiwan and the US, and believes a closer relationship is possible under Trump’s experienced leadership, Chu wrote.
Chu said that he had asked party members to reach out to key political figures in the US later this week, especially those who are likely to fill key positions in the new administration, to convey the desire of Taiwanese to maintain the “status quo” of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Trump in his first four-year term from 2017 to 2021 oversaw the passage of many Taiwan-friendly bills and helped the nation bolster its self-defense, Chu said, adding that the KMT expects him to continue his efforts to mediate geopolitical conflicts.
The Taiwan People’s Party in a statement congratulated Trump, while also conveying its “highest regards” for the Democratic ticket, US Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Taiwan and the US have a solid partnership, the TPP said, adding that it looks forward to continuing to promote bilateral economic development, and safeguarding peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region under Trump’s leadership.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua, Shih Hsiao-kuang, Lin Che-yuan and Kayleigh Madjar
