In a pre-election briefing Defense Minister Wellington Koo emphasized Taiwans need to stay strong regardless of US election results: no country can rely on others for its safety. The minister spoke as Chinese air-force conducted long-range drills (which passed through southern Taiwan airspace) just days before nov 5th election
Republican candidate Donald Trump made some eye-catching statements about the island nation during his campaign trail – he suggested Taiwan should pay for protection and took issue with its semiconductor industry. This comes at a time when Taiwan-China relations are getting more complex; Beijing has done four big military exercises near the island since 2022
Taiwanʼs defense strategy looks different now – its focusing on home-grown weapons development including missiles and submarines. While US remains a key partner (with some military trainers on-ground) theres no official defense agreement between countries; their last formal treaty ended back in 79 when US switched its diplomatic ties to mainland
A leaked internal memo shows that China started new propaganda efforts saying Taiwan might become a “sacrificial piece“ after US elections. But the same document points out: supporting Taiwan is now a bi-partisan thing in America. Minister Koo highlighted islands economic value and geo-political position – “We need to let world see Taiwans importance in keeping regional peace; thats why we keep making our defense stronger“