Taiwan is unlikely to be spared U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's transactional and often unilateral approach to foreign policy, but much will hinge on who he decides to surround himself with, as he begins to pick Cabinet members and top advisers.
While Taipei fared relatively well during Trump’s first term, the president-elect's skepticism over defending the island, accusations of chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) “stealing” American jobs and calls on Taipei to further hike military spending suggest U.S. support may likely come at a higher price this time around and be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Fearing that Taiwan could potentially be used as a bargaining chip in Washington's rivalry with Beijing, Taipei has already signaled its willingness to win over Trump, who, unlike U.S. President Joe Biden, is likely to focus more on bilateral relationships than multilateral groupings.
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