Former US President Donald Trump demanded that the self-governing island of Taiwan pay for the protection provided by the United States. He also dodged the question of whether he would defend the island from China's aggression and accused the island nation of taking the computer chip industry away from the United States.
“Taiwan should pay us for defence,” said the Republican presidential candidate in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “You know, we’re no different than an insurance company," he added.
Trump's remark has added uncertainty to his approach to Taiwan as his running mate JD Vance called China the "biggest threat" to the United States. President Joe Biden has said he would send troops to the island nation.
Responding to the remark, Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said Taipei is "willing to take on more responsibility" and would defend itself, reported the Associated Press.
Taiwan's de-facto embassy in Washington said in a statement that it is in the interest of the US and the international community to preserve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait since it is an indispensable part of global prosperity.
As the threat of military coercion increases, Taiwan is doing its part by actively strengthening deterrence capabilities with the support of the United States under the Taiwan Relations Act,“ the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office said, as per the AP report.
Taiwan has become one of the major flashpoints in the US-China relations. Beijing claims sovereignty over the self-governing island nation and vows to take it by force if necessary to achieve unification. Meanwhile, the US has been insisting on resolving the differences peacefully and Washington is obligated to supply Taiwan with hardware and technology for self-defence.
Last month, the Biden administration approved weapons sales worth $360 million to Taiwan sending hundreds of armed drones, missile equipment and related support material.