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Investing.com -- Taiwan’s top defense official, Defense Minister Wellington Koo, has indicated a shift in the country’s approach to the US following President Donald Trump’s recent contentious meeting with Ukraine’s leader. Koo emphasized the need to consider national interests alongside values, during a media briefing on Monday, shortly before Trump halted all military aid to Ukraine.
Koo’s comments referenced both Trump and the aggression of China’s armed forces, indicating that Taiwan, along with other countries like Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines, which rely on US military support to counter Beijing, may need to reassess their strategies in dealing with the US leader.
The significance of these concerns was underscored on Tuesday when it was reported that the US is suspending all current military aid to Ukraine until Trump is assured of the country’s leaders’ commitment to peace.
Taiwan had previously appealed to global democracies for support against China, which aims to assert control over the island nation. However, Koo’s recent comments suggest that Taiwan will also seek more tangible ways to secure America’s backing. Taiwan has already indicated plans to increase military spending as a percentage of its economic output, following Trump’s urging. It has also suggested it could purchase more American energy, agricultural products, and weapons to reduce its trade surplus with the US.
In a move supporting Trump’s aim of boosting domestic manufacturing, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Taiwan’s largest company, announced on Monday its plan to invest an additional $100 billion in US plants to increase its chip production in America.
China has been escalating its intimidation campaign against Taiwan since President Lai Ching-te assumed office in May of last year, notably by conducting several major military drills in nearby waters. Koo labeled the Chinese military as "the major destabilizing factor and the trouble maker in the Indo-Pacific region." He also announced that Taiwan’s annual military exercises, known as Han Kuang, would be extended this year from five days to ten.
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