Trump’s Silence
Published in UDN
(Taiwan) on 12 December 2024
by (link to original)
Always one looking to surprise people with his words, Donald Trump also has moments when he is silent. When he was asked by the U.S. press whether he would send troops to protect Taiwan if the Chinese Communist Party invades, he responded, “I never say.” When the reporter asked again, he still refused to comment, saying, “I have to negotiate things, right?”
Trump has two reasons for not wanting to comment on sending troops to protect Taiwan. First, he has always opposed getting involved in other people’s wars, which obviously includes a war in the Taiwan Strait. Second, he is determined to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and is currently asking Xi Jinping for help. Since this matter has yet to be resolved, there is no need to provoke hostilities with the CCP right now.
Due to his mercurial nature, after Trump takes office, the world’s political and economic order unfortunately might undergo a massive change, something countries are bracing for. Trump’s “silence” reflects his pragmatism and also reveals a certain kind of honesty. Instead of coming up with nonsense about how he would send troops to oppose the CCP and protect the people of Taiwan, he only said, “I’d prefer that they don’t [invade].”
The question is, how should Lai Ching-te’s administration, which always blindly follows America’s lead, face the great changes that are coming in the Trump era? Unlike Joe Biden, Trump does not want to be the world’s policeman and get involved in other countries’ affairs. However, he will use extreme economic tariffs to fight for U.S. interests. In contrast, while Biden has been unable to resolve the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Hamas and Israel, he has been busy building alliances, such as an Indo-Pacific alliance, an alliance with Japan and South Korea, and an alliance with the U.K. and Australia. Once he steps down, these alliances unfortunately might dissolve. Lai must think clearly about this.
Entrusting the country’s safety to another country’s “protection” is often a fantasy. In the face of Trump’s silence, Lai should wake up!
Trump has two reasons for not wanting to comment on sending troops to protect Taiwan. First, he has always opposed getting involved in other people’s wars, which obviously includes a war in the Taiwan Strait. Second, he is determined to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and is currently asking Xi Jinping for help. Since this matter has yet to be resolved, there is no need to provoke hostilities with the CCP right now.
Due to his mercurial nature, after Trump takes office, the world’s political and economic order unfortunately might undergo a massive change, something countries are bracing for. Trump’s “silence” reflects his pragmatism and also reveals a certain kind of honesty. Instead of coming up with nonsense about how he would send troops to oppose the CCP and protect the people of Taiwan, he only said, “I’d prefer that they don’t [invade].”
The question is, how should Lai Ching-te’s administration, which always blindly follows America’s lead, face the great changes that are coming in the Trump era? Unlike Joe Biden, Trump does not want to be the world’s policeman and get involved in other countries’ affairs. However, he will use extreme economic tariffs to fight for U.S. interests. In contrast, while Biden has been unable to resolve the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Hamas and Israel, he has been busy building alliances, such as an Indo-Pacific alliance, an alliance with Japan and South Korea, and an alliance with the U.K. and Australia. Once he steps down, these alliances unfortunately might dissolve. Lai must think clearly about this.
Entrusting the country’s safety to another country’s “protection” is often a fantasy. In the face of Trump’s silence, Lai should wake up!
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