President Lai Ching-te is calling for an escalation in resisting China, while President Donald Trump of the United States is urging allies to tone things down, showing growing divergence between Taiwan and the United States on their China policies. |
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Stepping Up Resistance to China: President Lai and Trump Diverge
An opinion piece by President Lai Ching-te was recently published in The Washington Post, declaring that Taiwan will significantly increase its defense budget, promote all-people defense, strengthen asymmetric warfare, and explicitly position Taiwan on the front line of resisting Beijing’s hegemony. In terms of domestic political effect, the op-ed does allow supporters to see that “we are brave,” while conveying to the international community Taiwan’s posture of “never yielding.”
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Tensions between China and Japan are rising. The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) strong support for Japan is drawing attention, raising concerns that Taiwan could be dragged into risks. |
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Lai Administration Shifts from "Resist China to Protect Taiwan" to "Resist China to Protect Japan"
A recent comment by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan, asserting that “a contingency in Taiwan is a contingency for Japan,” once again pushed China–Japan relations into turbulence. Beijing expressed displeasure, diplomatic friction escalated, travel advisories and military exercises were issued in parallel, and the situation intensified rapidly. Yet at this sensitive moment, many Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians voiced strong support for Japan. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) clearly stated in its report that Ms. Takaichi’s parliamentary response cannot yet be interpreted as “Japan will assist in the defense of Taiwan.” Still, the DPP administration continues to convey goodwill toward Japan. What lies behind this strategic gesture? Or is it merely an instinctive political reaction from the DPP administration?
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The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has filed a lawsuit against Lo Wei-jen over alleged leaks, but experts believe the real key lies in whether Intel decides to cut ties. |
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Caught Up in TSMC Leak Case: What Will Be Intel's Next Move？
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has finally taken action, formally filing a lawsuit against former Senior Vice President Lo Wei-jen, accusing him of breaching his employment contract, violating the non-compete agreement, and infringing upon the Trade Secrets Act.
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The phone call between Mr. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping revealed sensitive content, with reports saying that Mr. Trump understood Mr. Xi’s remark that “Taiwan must return,” and even took the opportunity to issue a warning to Japan. |
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November 21:
Fourteen years after Japan’s 3/11 earthquake, Taiwan has fully lifted its food import restrictions on Japan. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Ministry of Health and Welfare, announced the removal of restrictions on food products from five prefectures including Fukushima, treating them the same as general food inspections. The FDA emphasized that the repeal was based on scientific evidence and unrelated to recent controversies over remarks by Japan’s prime minister. |
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November 23:
The Homeland Security Office, Executive Yuan, and the Ministry of National Defense plan to spend NT$10 billion (about US$310 million) to procure anti-drone systems. They require introducing Israel’s unique “takeover” capability, which uses hacking technology to forcibly seize control of drones entering restricted airspace. |
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November 25:
Lo Wei-jen, former senior vice president at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), is suspected of taking away advanced process data, including 2-nanometer technology, before retirement and joining Intel. TSMC officially filed a lawsuit against Lo and requested a provisional injunction to prohibit further actions between Lo and Intel. Intel issued a statement denying the allegations, saying that there is currently no evidence indicating credibility of the claims. |
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November 25:
President Donald Trump of the United States held separate phone calls with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan. According to Xinhua News Agency, Xi stressed that “Taiwan’s return to China” is an important part of the postwar international order, and Trump expressed understanding. The White House later clarified that Taiwan was not mentioned. Given China-Japan tensions, analysts believe this was a warning to Japan. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump advised Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan. Japan refuted the report as false. |
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November 26:
Prime Minister Takaichi, in a discussion with opposition leaders, stated that Japan’s stance towards Taiwan remains unchanged: Japan has no position to determine Taiwan’s legal status. As for whether a “Taiwan contingency” would constitute a “survival crisis situation” for Japan, she said it would be holistically judged based on all information, returning to the wording of past administrations. She also expressed intent to repair Japan-China relations. |
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November 26:
President Lai Ching-te announced a special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (about US$40 billion) over the next eight years to build a “Taiwan Shield.” He noted that Beijing aims to complete armed unification of Taiwan by 2027. Former President Ma Ying-jeou stated that President Lai’s announcement was tantamount to declaring Taiwan in a “quasi-war state.” Opposition parties plan to propose inviting President Lai to deliver a state of the nation report to the Legislative Yuan. |
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November 27:
Domestically built submarine Hai Kun was scheduled for delivery at the end of the month but carried out its fourth sea trial instead. CSBC Corporation stated that safety comes first, and no specific delivery schedule has been set. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense announced personnel changes in charge of the submarine commander: Navy Commander Tang Hua was reassigned as president of National Defense University, with Deputy Chief of the General Staff Chiang Cheng-kuo taking over his post. |
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November 28:
President Lai appointed National Security Council advisor Hsu Szu-chien as Deputy Minister of National Defense for Military and Political Affairs, hoping his national security experience will inject new momentum into defense reform. Hsu previously served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council and was previously rumored to be appointed as representative to the United States. |
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