‘Protection fees’: can Taiwan still rely on US defence if Trump returns to office?
- The former president’s ‘transactional’ nature means he might be ‘comparing offers’ from Taipei and Beijing if he wins re-election, analysts say

The US Republican presidential nominee, who is seeking a second term in the White House, has said that it is “stupid” for the United States to offer protection to Taiwan for free, insisting that Taipei must pay more if it wants Washington to help defend the island.
“[Taiwan] did take about 100 per cent of our chip business,” Trump said in a June 25 interview published on Wednesday, adding that “Taiwan should pay us for defence. You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything.”

In Taipei on Friday, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said the island would rely on its own abilities to defend itself against escalating military threats from the PLA.
He said Taiwan’s military spending had consistently increased over the past eight years, and now stood at 2.5 per cent of GDP, adding: “I expect this will continue to rise.”
Some lawmakers questioned Trump’s accounting.