TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US President Donald Trump has so far continued maintaining strategic ambiguity in the Taiwan Strait, according to Derek Grossman, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C.

“Trump has shown thus far that nothing has fundamentally changed in US support for Taiwan,” Grossman wrote in a Nikkei Asai op-ed on Tuesday. He pointed out that Trump did not mention Taiwan during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in October, and the president has not given in to Xi’s request for Washington to oppose Taiwan independence.

Grossman cited Trump’s response in a recent CBS “60 Minutes” interview as proof of continued ambiguity. When asked whether he would send US forces to defend Taiwan if China invaded, Trump said, “I cannot give away my secrets,” adding that Beijing officials “understand what is going to happen.”

Grossman acknowledged that Trump’s cancellation of President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) US transits in July looked bad but reasoned that the move was “designed to keep the optics positive in US-China relations before the summit.” 

The scholar also noted Trump’s denial of a NT$$12.4 billion (US$400 million) US military aid package to Taiwan and said it was likely only a delay in delivery due to maintaining “summit optics.”

Grossman said the Trump administration still supports Taiwan, which was evident in the defense talks with Taiwan in Alaska, continued Taiwan Strait passages, and a possible arms package next year. 

“Overall, any concerns over the Trump administration's perceived lack of support for Taiwan thus far are not substantiated by the facts,” he said.

However, he cautioned that Trump is extremely erratic and that things may change in the future.