Training for an emergency: Conscripts in Taiwan practice putting on a bandage on a dummy.
Image: Reuters
Like NATO countries, Taiwan cannot be sure whether Trump would send help in the event of an attack. But people in Beijing are not looking forward to re-election either.
AAs president, Donald Trump is said to have sometimes compared Taiwan to the tip of a felt-tip pen. “This is Taiwan,” said Trump, pointing to his desk in the Oval Office: “And this is China.” Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton reported this in his book published in 2020. The message: He doesn't really care about Taiwan. “So much for American commitments and commitments to another democratic ally,” Bolton concluded. “If I were in Taiwan, I would be very concerned about a Trump administration,” he later repeated on CNN.
In fact, Trump is sending mixed signals to Taiwan. On the one hand, recognition and arms deals increased. Unlike his predecessors, Trump accepted a congratulatory call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen after his election victory in 2016. Under Trump, arms deals with Taipei increased dramatically, including F-16 fighter jets and advanced anti-ship missiles. Trump sold Taiwan everything it ordered, says a former general in Taipei. Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Taiwan a “sovereign country” two years ago. In addition, Trump allowed high-ranking American officials to visit Taiwan through the Taiwan Travel Act, which was passed during his term in office – all to the great annoyance of Beijing.