Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said in an article published Feb. 16 on Fox News Digital that Taiwan will neither escalate tension across the Taiwan Strait nor yield to China’s intimidation.
Lin said China’s intensifying authoritarian expansion threatens Taiwan’s security and poses significant challenges to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and around the world, citing the passage of two Chinese aircraft carriers beyond the second island chain last June.
According to the minister, cross-strait peace and stability are vital to global security and prosperity, as approximately 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors are produced in Taiwan and roughly half of global commercial shipping passes through the strait.
The minister said there is clear strategic continuity between U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies during his first and second terms, and noted that the 2025 National Security Strategy underscores Taiwan’s geopolitical importance as a link between the Northeast and Southeast Asia. He added that Taiwan will seek ways to coordinate with the U.S. through the government’s diplomatic approach based on shared values, strong alliances and robust economic ties.
Taiwan is working to rebalance trade with the U.S. through increasing investment while enhancing strategic cooperation on artificial intelligence, technology and supply chains, Lin said.
The foreign minister thanked the U.S. for increasing military support, as evidenced by an US$11 billion arms sale package approved last December, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
At the same time, Lin said Taiwan is accelerating its own defense investments, with President Lai Ching-te announcing that Taiwan’s defense budget will increase to over 3 percent of the gross domestic product by 2026 and to 5 percent by 2030, and major parties all publicly supporting closer security cooperation with the U.S. (SFC-E)
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Lin said China’s intensifying authoritarian expansion threatens Taiwan’s security and poses significant challenges to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and around the world, citing the passage of two Chinese aircraft carriers beyond the second island chain last June.
According to the minister, cross-strait peace and stability are vital to global security and prosperity, as approximately 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors are produced in Taiwan and roughly half of global commercial shipping passes through the strait.
The minister said there is clear strategic continuity between U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies during his first and second terms, and noted that the 2025 National Security Strategy underscores Taiwan’s geopolitical importance as a link between the Northeast and Southeast Asia. He added that Taiwan will seek ways to coordinate with the U.S. through the government’s diplomatic approach based on shared values, strong alliances and robust economic ties.
Taiwan is working to rebalance trade with the U.S. through increasing investment while enhancing strategic cooperation on artificial intelligence, technology and supply chains, Lin said.
The foreign minister thanked the U.S. for increasing military support, as evidenced by an US$11 billion arms sale package approved last December, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
At the same time, Lin said Taiwan is accelerating its own defense investments, with President Lai Ching-te announcing that Taiwan’s defense budget will increase to over 3 percent of the gross domestic product by 2026 and to 5 percent by 2030, and major parties all publicly supporting closer security cooperation with the U.S. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News