Taiwan watches Trump-Xi meeting for signs China will test US resolve

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: President Donald Trump’s meetings pinch communist China’s ultimate leader Xi Jinping successful Beijing will beryllium keenly watched present successful Taiwan, from nan statesmanlike agency to subject bid centers and semiconductor institution boardrooms. The cardinal mobility galore are asking is whether Trump negotiates pinch China from a position of strength, aliases leaves Taiwan exposed?

The de facto independent federation of 23 cardinal group has spent decades surviving nether threat from nan Chinese Communist Party, which claims Taiwan arsenic its territory contempt ne'er having ruled it for moreover a day.

Observers present pass that Xi whitethorn effort to connection Trump a deal: practice connected tariffs, fentanyl, U.S. business access, aliases world flashpoints for illustration Iran and Ukraine successful speech for Trump accepting a larger Chinese domiciled successful Taiwan’s future.

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The PLA Navy and nan PLA Army behaviour a cross-day, all-factor live-fire red-blue confrontation drill successful Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, China, connected Aug. 24, 2022. (CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images)

Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu precocious told Bloomberg News, "What we are nan astir acrophobic is to put Taiwan connected nan paper of nan talk betwixt Xi Jinping and President Trump."

Huang Kwei-bo, a professor successful National Chengchi University’s Department of Diplomacy, told Fox News Digital that Taiwan shouldn't presume thing will change. "Taiwan shouldn't norm retired nan anticipation that nan United States and mainland China could scope an knowing down nan scenes, agreeing to trim arms income to Taiwan, aliases go little progressive successful helping america meaningfully participate successful world space," he said.

In comments connected Monday, President Trump acknowledged China’s dislike of U.S. arms income to Taiwan, and said nan taxable would beryllium "one of nan galore things I'll beryllium talking about." 

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China launched rockets adjacent Taiwan during live-fire drills arsenic nan People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command surrounded nan land pinch warships and craft amid rising tensions. (PLA Eastern Theater Command/Reuters)

Over nan past week, much than 50 communist Chinese craft crossed nan Taiwan Strait median statement aliases entered Taiwan’s aerial defense recognition zone. 

Those numbers are not a melodramatic caller escalation. In Taiwan, they are progressively seen arsenic portion of a caller normal: a sustained unit run that falls short of warfare but keeps Taiwan’s subject connected alert. China besides intentionally damages nan undersea cables that link Taiwan to nan internet, hacks into Taiwan’s machine systems daily, and floods societal media pinch contented that praises nan communist party.

FILE: In this undated record photograph released by nan Taiwan Ministry of Defense, a Chinese PLA J-16 combatant pitchy flies successful an undisclosed location (Taiwan Ministry of Defense via AP)

Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacture is simply a awesome interest for Washington. The land is location to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., aliases TSMC, nan ascendant shaper of nan world’s astir precocious semiconductors. Those chips are utilized successful smartphones, cars, artificial intelligence systems and U.S. defense technology. Any conflict aliases blockade that cuts Taiwan disconnected from world markets would ripple done American factories, consumers, exertion companies and subject planning.

However, arsenic nan leaders of nan 2 nations astir intimately intertwined pinch Taiwan's early meet, location is nary outward consciousness of panic here.

President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping hole for a cardinal acme successful May. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)

"Most group present are not obsessed pinch China each day," Audrey Chiang, who runs a tourer souvenir shop successful Kaohsiung, told Fox News Digital. Chiang has a boy who is conscionable a fewer years distant from serving 1 twelvemonth as a subject conscript, a 2024 consequence to China’s penetration threats. "We spell to work. We interest astir nan adjacent large trial astatine our kids’ school. We kick astir traffic. But everyone knows things tin alteration very quickly."

Taiwan’s legislature connected May 8 passed a adjacent US$25 cardinal supplemental defense spending bill, meant successful portion to awesome to Washington that Taipei isn’t simply depending connected America to protect itself. But nan package was smaller than nan almost US$40 cardinal requested by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s administration. 

Taipei-based American governmental analyst, Ross Darrell Feingold, told Fox News Digital that galore successful Taiwan presume that nan U.S., and perchance Japan, will travel to nan island’s defense successful nan arena of a war. "Going backmost to nan Cold War erstwhile nan U.S. had a pact responsibility to take sides Taiwan, and moreover aft nan pact was abrogated, nan accordant presumption is that nan U.S. president will nonstop successful nan subject to prevention Taiwan. More recently, location is simply a increasing presumption Japan will do truthful arsenic well. But Taiwan still must do what is basal to beryllium to its partners that Taiwan’s ain group will beryllium connected nan beforehand line," he said.

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company fabrication works successful Phoenix, Arizona, connected March 3, 2025. TSMC plans to put an further $100 cardinal successful U.S. plants to summation spot accumulation and support President Donald Trump's extremity of boosting home manufacturing. (Rebecca Noble/Bloomberg)

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Taiwan’s main governmental parties person awesome differences successful their approaches to China, but broadly support U.S. arms purchases and work together that Beijing is simply a threat to antiauthoritarian Taiwan.

Chinese officials insist Taiwan’s position is an "internal affair." Taiwan’s elected authorities rejects that, and truthful do astir Taiwanese, who spot Taiwan’s early arsenic thing only they should decide.

National Pingtung University Associate Professor Paul Lee is among those who deliberation Xi Jinping is going to push nan U.S. president difficult connected Taiwan. Speaking by phone, he told Fox News Digital that "Xi Jinping almost surely wants 1 clear alteration from nan U.S., he’ll want Trump to opportunity nan United States ‘opposes Taiwan independence’ alternatively than nan connection it uses now that is person to ‘does not support Taiwan independence.’ To beryllium frank, I don’t deliberation President Trump sees Taiwan arsenic that important – isolated from arsenic nan shaper of nan world’s astir precocious semiconductors, and arsenic a root of immoderate gross from weapons sales." Lee notes that nan quality betwixt "doesn’t support" and "opposes" whitethorn not look for illustration overmuch for Trump, but for Xi, it would beryllium viewed arsenic a awesome victory."

A convoy of Taiwanese equipped subject vehicles patrols extracurricular Songshan Airport successful Taipei connected Oct. 14, 2024, pursuing China's announcement of nan Joint Sword-2024B subject workout encircling Taiwan. (Daniel Ceng/Anadolu)

For Taiwan’s ruling party, and anyone successful Taiwan who supports moves by Lai and his predecessor to found astatine location and overseas that Taiwan is not portion of China, specified a alteration successful connection would travel arsenic a rustle arsenic it implies that nan U.S. does not work together pinch nan group of Taiwan having nan correct to self-determination connected their future, Lee explained, and he said Xi Jinping wouldn’t beryllium satisfied pinch Trump simply saying a fewer sentences. 

"Trump has astir 3 years near connected his 2nd term, and Xi will want to guarantee nan ‘oppose independence’ connection translates into a caller model pinch caller rules specified arsenic not letting Taiwan President Lai transit done nan U.S., arsenic 1 example. Xi knows U.S. presidents travel and go, truthful nan extremity is to create a tacit statement that Taiwan is successful nan Chinese sphere of influence, he said.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed nan Chinese Communist Party to asseverate power for nan state globally done a "United Front" strategy. He reviews troops during his inspection of nan People's Liberation Army garrison successful nan Macao Special Administrative Region connected Dec. 20, 2024. (Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Lee said China has been patiently waiting for an opportune moment, and nan warfare successful Iran, tariffs and different issues facing President Trump is presenting precisely that.

Lee said Taiwan’s authorities and world organization will intimately scrutinize nan charismatic translations of what nan 2 sides "agree" on. "Put simply," Lee said, "if Xi Jinping agrees to thief make things easier for Trump, Xi will not beryllium satisfied pinch cryptically worded charismatic property releases. He will want to spot nan opening of a caller U.S.-China model for dealing pinch Taiwan."