Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister François Chihchung Wu says the alteration is an indication the self-governing democracy of 24 million people still has the backing of the United States.Daniel Ceng/The Globe and Mail
Taiwan says it’s a heartening sign that the U.S. State Department under President Donald Trump has dropped a statement from its website that said Washington does not support the island’s independence.
Taiwan’s deputy foreign affairs minister, François Chihchung Wu, said Wednesday that the development is an indication the self-governing democracy of 24 million people still has the backing of the United States.
“It is a very good signal showing that the U.S. is increasing their support to Taiwan,” Mr. Wu said in an interview.
China, which has reacted angrily to the revision of the U.S. fact sheet on U.S.-Taiwan relations, has for years waged a campaign to diplomatically isolate the island, which it considers a breakaway province. Beijing has not ruled out using force to annex it and since 2018 has staged military exercises near Taiwan more than 10 times.
Remarks Mr. Trump made during his 2024 presidential election campaign have raised doubts about his willingness to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Mr. Trump, who recently threatened to slap tariffs on semiconductors from Taiwan, told Bloomberg during the campaign that he “wouldn’t feel too secure if I was [Taiwan]” and suggested the island should pay the U.S. for its defence.
Mr. Wu said he already considers Taiwan to be a sovereign country, but by removing the statement about Taiwan’s independence, Washington is helping to counter Beijing’s efforts.
“The ambition of China is to try first to isolate Taiwan and to make you believe that Taiwan is part of the internal issues of China,” he said.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun said the revision to the U.S. website sends a “seriously wrong signal” to those in Taiwan who support independence and urged Washington to “stop upgrading its substantive relations with Taiwan.”
The Economist reported in January that by its count 70 countries have officially endorsed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and agreed that Beijing is entitled to pursue all efforts to achieve unification – “without specifying that those efforts should be peaceful.” It said China appears to be gaining ground in its efforts to secure global support for its broadening campaign of coercion against Taiwan.
The U.S. is heavily reliant on the cutting-edge semiconductor chips Taiwan supplies to American manufacturers. If Mr. Trump were to impose tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors, “the one who will suffer is the American consumer,” Mr. Wu said, noting that the U.S. will not be able to replace the advanced microchips with alternatives from other countries.
And Taiwan occupies a strategic position in the first island chain off the Asian mainland, one that could give China the upper hand to drive the U.S. military out of the region.
Mr. Wu said the message Washington is sending by revising its Taiwan policy statement is that the U.S. is “ready to do anything to defend their national interest.”
If China were to seize Taiwan and its advanced semiconductor facilities, it would be in control of one of the world’s most precious resources, he said. Taiwan produces more than 90 per cent of the most advanced chips, found at the heart of modern technologies from smartphones to cars and medical devices.
“If China can take control of the semiconductor industry of Taiwan, then immediately they will become very strong, and then they can challenge the U.S. and change the world order,” he warned.
Reuters reported this week, citing unnamed sources, that Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, hoping to win the support of the new Trump administration.
Mr. Wu said Taiwan would be happy to buy more U.S. arms.
“It has always been the policy of Taiwan to purchase the most advanced weapons to defend ourselves here,” he said. “So if it is the wish of the U.S. to allow Taiwan to purchase more advanced American weapons, I think we’re happy to do that.”
Mr. Wu said Taiwan is a “new form of state.” It lacks official diplomatic relations with most countries, yet it conducts business all over the globe.
“We are not recognized by the majority of the countries of the world. But we do exist. You need to talk with us if you want to co-operate with Taiwan in the semiconductor industry,” he said.
As part of its efforts to cut Taiwan off from the international community, Beijing has denied it the chance to participate in international bodies such as the World Health Organization’s regular assemblies and has spent the past 20 years persuading countries that do recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country to cut ties. In 2000, Taiwan had official diplomatic relations with 29 member states of the United Nations, as well as the Holy See; today the number has dropped to 11, plus the Vatican.
And yet, Mr. Wu said, Taiwan has 111 representative offices around the world – he called them diplomatic missions – that carry on the business of unofficial relations with other countries.