China has warned that Taiwan could become a “pawn” after former President Donald Trump suggested it was not paying enough “protection money” to the United States.
In an interview with joe rogan experience In an airing on Saturday, the Republican presidential candidate repeated his claim that Taiwan had “stolen” the United States’ semiconductor business, and said that the United States is trying to protect Taiwan from China, which claims the self-governing island as its own territory. He suggested that the government should be paid. “They’re not paying us for protection,” Trump said.
Taiwan is a world leader in semiconductor manufacturing, an important area for both consumer electronics and defense technology, and its role as a semiconductor hub makes it a center of U.S. technology interests.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the China Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said on Wednesday, “The majority of Taiwanese compatriots have already made a rational judgment as to whether the United States wants to protect Taiwan or harm Taiwan.” I think it is,” he said. State media comment on President Trump’s remarks.
Taiwan Ministry of National Defense
He added that Taiwanese “know that the United States will always pursue ‘America first’ and that Taiwan could change from a pawn to an outcast at any time.”
TAO is the Chinese arm responsible for cross-strait relations with Taiwan and promoting Beijing’s unification policy.
Zhu also criticized the recent US $2 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which was approved last week and included surface-to-air missile systems, radar equipment and related equipment. Although the United States does not formally recognize Taiwan, the two countries enjoy strong de facto diplomatic relations, and Washington has taken self-defense measures for decades under the Taiwan Relations Act.
“Please tell the authorities (Taiwan President Lai Ching-toku) that buying weapons does not buy security and will only make Taiwan more dangerous,” he said. It added: “No Taiwanese separatist act or foreign interference can stop the general trend of the motherland’s reunification.”
newsweek has asked Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment in writing.
The Chinese government claims Taiwan is its own territory, and although the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled the island, it insists that unification by force is inevitable if necessary.
Taiwanese Prime Minister Cho Zheng-tai told lawmakers on Tuesday that he disagrees with President Trump’s assertion that Taiwan profits from chips at the expense of the United States. Local media quoted him as saying, “Taiwan has developed its own semiconductor industry and has become a world leader.” However, he expressed confidence that the United States is a mature democracy and said Taiwan will continue to strengthen ties with the United States.
China has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, and earlier this month Chinese warships and aircraft conducted exercises to simulate a blockade around the island.
