TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In a Fox News interview aired on Sunday (July 16), former U.S. President Donald Trump declined to answer whether as president he would defend Taiwan against China, and he accused Taiwan of stealing the U.S. semiconductor business and said Washington should have imposed tariffs on Taiwan chip companies.
During the interview, Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Trump whether the U.S. should defend Taiwan if China invades. Trump responded that he does not want to say his thoughts on the matter because it would "put me in a very bad negotiating position."
He then alleged, "Taiwan did take all of our chip business," saying that the U.S. used to manufacture the majority of the world's semiconductors, but Taiwan now makes 90% of advanced chips globally. Bartiromo added that because Taiwan produces such a high percentage of semiconductors, if China captured the country it would be able to "turn the world on and off."
Trump agreed that China would be able to "turn the world off, potentially," but claimed that Taiwan "took our (chip) business away," and that the U.S. should have "stopped them." He also said the U.S. should have "taxed them" and "tariffed them."
On Monday (July 17), Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an American think tank, responded to Trump's remarks on MSNBC. He said that although the first half of Trump's comments are consistent with U.S. "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan, the second half is "wildly, wildly" inconsistent with U.S. policy.
Regarding Trump's portrayal of Taiwan as a U.S. economic adversary, Haass said, "One, it's wrong, and two, casts real doubt about our willingness to come to Taiwan's defense." He warned that if the U.S. was unwilling to defend Taiwan, the consequences should not be underestimated, "not just economically, but strategically."
Haass said the U.S. alliance system in Asia "hinges on what the United States is prepared to do for Taiwan." He also said that if the goal is to prevent China from being able to "turn off the world's economy," then "let's deter China" and make the costs of attacking Taiwan for Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) too great.
He said Washington must project a feeling of certainty that the U.S. is going to come to Taiwan's aid, and "we ought to be building up the capacity to do it." He added that Trump's comments "unfortunately go in the opposite direction."
Trump suggests that the US shouldn't defend Taiwan if China attacks because Taiwan "took our business away" pic.twitter.com/28KEGkVxNX
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 16, 2023
