Taiwan Is an Invaluable Associate to the USA

[ad_1] Eighty years in the past, the Allies—led by the USA’s Biggest Technology—triumphed and ended the worldwide carnage of World Battle II. The tales of how the Republic of China (Taiwan) fought aspect by aspect with our American allies nonetheless resonate in Taiwan, particularly the heroic exploits of the Flying Tigers, the First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the ROC Air Power.

It is very important keep in mind this historical past, notably because the Folks’s Republic of China (PRC) engages in revisionism that falsely casts the communists because the central drive in that warfare. The power of Taiwan-U.S. ties was solid within the fires of that battle and has solely grown stronger with time.

Pilots of the American Volunteer Group stroll in entrance of their Flying Tigers fighter planes, cira 1941. The Flying Tigers flew in Asia with the Nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-Shek throughout World Battle II. (CORBIS/Corbis through Getty Photographs)

Within the years after the ROC relocated to Taiwan, U.S. support was important in serving to us survive and rebuild. With that assist—and the industrious spirit of the Taiwanese individuals—we reworked from an agricultural economic system into a worldwide know-how chief. By the flip of the millennium, Taiwan had constructed a world-class semiconductor business, supplying chips that energy America’s most progressive corporations, from Apple to NVIDIA and AMD. In some ways, Taiwan has been the silent associate behind the rise of U.S. tech as a worldwide powerhouse—and with an eye fixed on the long run, we'll proceed to assist American corporations lead within the age of synthetic intelligence.

Immediately, “bringing manufacturing again to U.S. soil” is the mantra of the Trump administration. Taiwan absolutely shares this imaginative and prescient. Our corporations are increasing investments in the USA, as proven by TSMC’s $165 billion funding in Arizona. In reality, 40 p.c of Taiwan’s outbound funding now goes to the U.S.—a testomony to the standard of the American market and our dedication to U.S. reindustrialization. At this 12 months’s Taiwan Expo USA, held August 14–16 in Dallas, greater than 180 Taiwanese corporations got here to do enterprise, underscoring our position as a high international investor in Texas over the previous 18 months.

President Donald Trump, proper, and C.C. Wei, chief government officer of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), shake arms throughout an funding announcement on the White Home in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg through Getty Photographs)

The financial and safety partnership between Taiwan and the U.S. go hand in hand. On the Shangri-La Dialogue this Might, U.S. Secretary of Battle Pete Hegseth emphasised the significance of stability within the Indo-Pacific—a area that's residence to greater than half the world’s inhabitants and practically two-thirds of world GDP. As a accountable stakeholder, Taiwan has persistently reaffirmed its dedication to sustaining peace and stability within the area. To that finish, President Lai has pledged to boost Taiwan’s 2026 protection price range to $31.08 billion, or 3.32 p.c of GDP, with the aim of reaching 5 p.c by 2030. We're additionally making ready a particular initiative to accumulate as much as $10 billion in U.S. made protection programs. Since 2016, the U.S. has accepted greater than $26 billion in arms gross sales to Taiwan—$18.76 billion of that in President Trump’s first time period alone.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te delivers an tackle to mark the primary anniversary of his inauguration on the Presidential Workplace in Taipei on Might 20, 2025. (CHENG YU-CHEN/AFP through Getty Photographs)

On the identical time, Taiwan is intensively creating uneven capabilities, strengthening our reserve forces, and advancing whole-of-society resilience. Our tenet is evident: peace by way of power. Our goal is to create a stage of deterrence so credible that the thought of attacking Taiwan by no means even enters an adversary’s plans. This isn't provocation, however prudence. The individuals of Taiwan love peace. President Lai has repeatedly emphasised that we search dialogue with the PRC. However let there be little doubt: we're ready to defend our freedom and lifestyle if obligatory.

On this eightieth anniversary of the top of World Battle II, Taiwan stands as a steadfast buddy of the USA. We sit up for working with Washington to make sure that U.S. management—and Taiwan-U.S. partnership—proceed to form a peaceable and affluent world for the subsequent 80 years and past.