Whispers from the East: Is Trump Using Taiwan as Leverage with China?
Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda sidelines Taiwan’s autonomy.
Is Washington slowly backing away from Taiwan? This, while people in Taipei are practicing emergency drills in public spaces in anticipation of possible Chinese aggression. The situation raises critical concerns: would the U.S. intervene if China moved toward a full-scale invasion of Taiwan? Is President Trump turning Taiwan into a bargaining chip in talks with Beijing? These are likely troubling thoughts for Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te.
Recently, Lai cancelled his scheduled visit to Paraguay, Guatemala, and Belize—three nations that officially recognize Taiwan in the Western Hemisphere. The reason? Donald Trump.
Why, you ask? Lai’s journey, originally set for early August, was expected to include a transit stop in the U.S. However, Trump’s administration reportedly blocked the layover. Trump is presently aiming to arrange a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to The Financial Times, China conveyed its objections regarding Lai’s visit to Washington, prompting the U.S. to deny Lai a stopover in New York.
Interestingly, Lai’s office never officially publicised the trip to Central and South America. On Monday, Taiwan clarified that the overseas visit was called off in order to focus on tariff discussions with the U.S. and oversee typhoon relief efforts in Taiwan’s southern region.
Reacting swiftly, Trump posted on his social platform Truth Social: “Fake news is saying I’m pursuing a ‘summit’ with Xi Jinping. That’s false—I’m not chasing anything!” He also suggested the possibility of visiting China, adding, “I may travel to China, but only if President Xi invites me—which he has. Otherwise, I’m not interested. Thanks for your concern.”
Trump’s online outburst came as U.S. and Chinese economic leaders met in Stockholm to address long-standing disagreements central to the ongoing trade war. Both countries are discussing the possibility of extending the current tariff pause by another three months, with Beijing pushing for fewer U.S. duties and looser technology restrictions. Analysts believe that a face-to-face Trump-Xi meeting could ease trade tensions at this pivotal moment.
It’s worth mentioning that Taiwan’s president cannot make an official visit to the U.S., as America does not formally recognise Taiwan’s government. Still, Taiwanese presidents have historically made brief “transit” visits through U.S. cities to quietly meet top officials outside Washington. In 2023, former Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen made similar stopovers in New York and Los Angeles. At that time, President Joe Biden was in office and made clear military commitments to defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression. Before leaving office, Biden approved more than $500 million in military assistance to Taiwan.
Trump, on the other hand, now emphasizes his America First policy—putting Taiwan’s independence on the back burner. This marks a shift from his earlier term, during which he ramped up arms sales to Taiwan and increased deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. His administration also pushed trade diversification that benefited Taiwanese firms across Asia and passed the Taiwan Travel Act in 2018, which relaxed decades-old limits on formal exchanges between U.S. and Taiwanese officials.
Now, with Trump’s diplomatic strategy focusing heavily on transactional gains in U.S.-China trade talks, Taiwan faces an uncertain future. Will it be pressured to ramp up its defense budget? Can it continue to benefit from U.S.-China economic rivalry? And what does Taipei’s path forward look like if Trump withdraws active support?
