The United States’ <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-state-dept-approves-possible-sale-taiwan-fighter-jet-spare-repair-parts-2025-11-14/">approval</a> of a $330 million arms sale to Taiwan on Thursday represents both a symbolic and strategic turning point in U.S.-Taiwan relations under President Donald Trump’s second term.
The package — <a href="https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/taiwan-confirms-more-weapons-acquisition-from-u-s-amid-rising-china-tensions?utm">covering</a> spare and repair parts for Taiwan’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets, C-130 transport aircraft, and other military planes — marks the first U.S. arms transfer to the island since Trump returned to office in January. While modest in dollar value relative to past transactions, the approval underscores Washington’s continued commitment to Taiwan’s defense amid escalating Chinese military pressure.
The Pentagon described the deal as vital for maintaining the operational readiness of Taiwan’s air fleet and improving its capacity to meet “current and future threats.” By ensuring Taiwan’s aircraft remain mission-capable, the sale strengthens the island’s ability to counter frequent “gray-zone” incursions — non-combat pressure tactics by China that test Taiwan’s air defenses through near-daily aerial and maritime patrols.
The sale is expected to take effect within a month, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, which praised Washington for sustaining a regularized schedule of support. Taipei’s presidential office thanked the U.S. for continuing its long-standing arms sales policy, calling the deepening defense partnership a cornerstone of peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.
Taiwan’s appreciation contrasts sharply with Beijing’s fury. The Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated that the “Taiwan question” remains the “first red line” in China-U.S. relations, calling the sale a serious violation of the one-China principle and the three bilateral joint communiqués that frame diplomatic engagement. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, warned that such U.S. actions interfere in its internal affairs and damage its sovereignty.
In recent years, Beijing has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china-sanctions-two-us-defence-firms-selling-taiwan-weapons-2024-04-11/?utm">imposed</a> penalties on defense companies linked to Taiwan arms sales, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics. These sanctions, ranging from property freezes to entry bans on executives, have become Beijing’s primary diplomatic tool to protest U.S. military support for the island.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), passed in 1979 after Washington severed formal ties with Taipei, the United States is legally bound to provide weapons of a “defensive character.” While maintaining unofficial relations, Washington remains Taiwan’s most significant arms provider and security partner. The Trump administration’s approval of the $330 million sale reflects continuity with that legal mandate while signaling that U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific still hinge on preventing Chinese coercion.
This latest transaction follows a series of U.S. arms sales over the past two years, including a <a href="https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2024/02/23/2003813944?utm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$75 million package</a> in February 2024 and a $385 million package in November 2024, both of which aimed to upgrade Taiwan’s communications, radar, and fighter capabilities.
Collectively, these deals address a significant delivery backlog — valued at more than $21 billion as of early 2025 — that has long constrained Taiwan’s defense modernization. The recent approval also comes shortly after the 24th U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Maryland, where officials projected that arms sales could reach record levels in 2026 once Taipei passes its new multi-year defense budget, potentially exceeding 3% of GDP.
The latest sale thus serves as a reaffirmation of Washington’s strategic resolve to equip Taiwan with the means of self-defense while recalibrating relations with Beijing amid regional power competition. For Taipei, the decision reinforces deterrence and operational endurance against China’s intensifying military drills.

Taiwan President visits defence exhibition after Trump declined arms sales to island

U.S. Greenlights $330M Arms Sale To Taiwan To Boost Defense Against Chinese Aggression

Arms sales

China

Global Politics

Politics

Taiwan

President Donald Trump pushed back on &#8220;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/read-full-transcript-norah-odonnell-60-minutes-interview-with-president-trump/">60 Minutes</a>&#8221; host Norah O&#8217;Donnell during an interview that aired Sunday evening, chastising her for trying to get him to publicly broadcast secret military information.
O&#8217;Donnell pressed the president on a potential conflict that could arise with China if the United States were to take action in defense of Taiwan, and then pressed even harder when Trump kept his answers on the subject as vague as possible.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump BODIES 60 Minutes after she begs for his secret military plans if China were to invade Taiwan
CBS: Why not say what you&#8217;ll do?!
TRUMP: &#8220;I can&#8217;t give away my secrets! I&#8217;m not somebody that tells YOU everything because you&#8217;re asking me a question!&#8221;… <a href="https://t.co/R1MwGAOX5F">pic.twitter.com/R1MwGAOX5F</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1985014616447951356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;One potential flash point with China, probably the potential flash point with China in the coming years, is over the issue of Taiwan,&#8221; O&#8217;Donnell said. &#8220;The Chinese military is encroaching on Taiwan&#8217;s sea lanes, its airspace, its cyberspace. I know you have said that Xi Jinping wouldn&#8217;t dare move militarily on Taiwan while you&#8217;re in office. But what if he does? Would you order U.S. forces to defend Taiwan?&#8221;
&#8220;You&#8217;ll find out if it happens. And he understands the answer to that,&#8221; Trump replied.
&#8220;Why not say it —&#8221; O&#8217;Donnell asked.
Trump did not answer but instead noted that when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the topic was never broached — largely, he claimed, because they already understood each other.
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&#8220;This never even came up yesterday, as a subject. He never brought it up. People were a little surprised at that. He never brought it up, because he understands it, and he understands it very well,&#8221; Trump explained. &#8220;Taiwan is a very interesting case. It&#8217;s 69 miles away from China. We&#8217;re 9,500 miles away. But that doesn&#8217;t matter. He understands — what will happen. He and I have spoken about it. But it was never even brought up during a two and a ha — or two-and-a-half-hour meeting we had yesterday.&#8221;
&#8220;Do you mind if I ask, when you say, &#8216;He understands,&#8217; why not communicate that publicly to the rest of us? What does he understand that —&#8221; O&#8217;Donnell tried again.
&#8220;Well — I don&#8217;t want to give away — I can&#8217;t give away my secrets,&#8221; Trump shot back. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be one of these guys that tells you exactly what&#8217;s gonna happen if something happens. The other side knows, but — I&#8217;m not somebody that tells you everything because you&#8217;re asking me a question. But they understand what&#8217;s gonna happen. And — he has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, &#8216;We would never do anything while President Trump is president,&#8217; because they know the consequences.&#8221;

President Trump Departs Morristown Airport En Route To Washington, DC

‘I Can’t Give Away My Secrets’: Trump Scolds CBS Host For Asking About Taiwan And Military Plans

'I Can't Give Away My Secrets': Trump Scolds CBS Host For Asking About Taiwan And Military Plans

60 Minutes

Media

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Friday he will introduce legislation to deter aggression against Taiwan by identifying targets for economic measures that could be deployed rapidly if China acts against the island.
Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho said his &#8220;Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act&#8221; would create a State and Treasury Department-led task force that would identify Chinese military and non-military targets for sanctions, export controls and other economic measures to use against Beijing in case of Chinese aggression against Taiwan.
&#8220;Using lessons learned from the challenges in U.S. and partner country sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, this legislation will ensure America is prepared to hit China where it hurts should China follow through on its threats to use violent force against Taiwan,&#8221; Risch said in a statement.
An aide said he planned to introduce the measure on Monday.
The Chinese foreign ministry, in a statement in response to Reuters questions, said the United States should strictly abide by the one-China principle &#8211; under which China claims the democratically governed Taiwan as its own &#8211; and stop undermining bilateral relations and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
&#8220;The Taiwan issue is China&#8217;s internal affair,&#8221; the ministry said. &#8220;How to resolve it is solely China&#8217;s own business and does not tolerate any external interference.&#8221;
News of the proposed bill comes ahead of an expected meeting this month between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, with the U.S. leader seeking to conclude a major trade deal with Washington&#8217;s biggest economic and geopolitical rival.
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China has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Beijing has stepped up military and political pressure against Taiwan in recent years.
The U.S. State Department says the U.S. position on Taiwan has not changed and that Washington opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.
Analysts say China would particularly like the Trump administration to state explicitly that it opposes Taiwan&#8217;s independence rather than say, as did the Biden administration, that it did not support it.
Risch&#8217;s bill is one of several legislative initiatives in the Senate and House of Representatives that supporters say underscore support in Congress for continuing to take a hard line against any Chinese moves on Taiwan.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Ryan Woo in Beijing; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

The two sides clashed with missiles. trade war. Flag of the People’s Republic of China. Flag of the United States. Taiwan flag

Senior Republican Senator Wants To Boost Pressure On China Over Taiwan

Communist China

Donald Trump

World

Xi Jinping

Taiwan&#8217;s message to the international community is that it is determined to defend itself and that people should not believe any claim it has surrendered in the event of invasion, President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday, capping a week of defense events.
Democratically-governed Taiwan has faced stepped up military pressure from China, which views the island as its own territory. Taiwan&#8217;s government rejects those claims, saying only the island&#8217;s people can decide their future.
Addressing a forum on Taiwan&#8217;s efforts to boost its preparations for natural disaster or war, Lai referenced the government&#8217;s new civil defence handbook, which was launched on Tuesday as part of efforts to get people ready for a possible Chinese attack.
The handbook gives vital information on how to stay safe, he said to an audience that included Western envoys to Taipei.
&#8220;More importantly, we tell everyone, &#8216;In the event of a military invasion of Taiwan, any claim that the government has surrendered or that the nation has been defeated is false,'&#8221; Lai said, quoting one of the key messages in the handbook.
&#8220;As commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic of China, I want to tell my fellow citizens and the international community that this is Taiwan&#8217;s position,&#8221; he said, using Taiwan&#8217;s formal name.
&#8220;We are determined to defend freedom and democracy and a sustainable Taiwan.&#8221;
China&#8217;s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Taiwan this week hosted its largest ever arms show, drawing a host of international companies looking to win a share of the island&#8217;s rapidly increasing defense spending.
Taiwan is also actively courting global defense companies for closer collaboration, such as joint production of weapons.
Speaking separately on Saturday at the opening of a branch office in Taipei, Brandon Tseng, president of U.S. company Shield AI, said his company could have hundreds of employees in Taiwan over the next three to five years.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a region that Shield AI is deeply investing in and deeply committed to,&#8221; said Tseng, who chatted with Lai on Friday as he visited the arms show, where the company was showcasing its V-BAT drones that have been combat-tested in Ukraine.
Shield AI this month signed a &#8220;teaming agreement&#8221; with Taiwan government defense contractor Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, although Tseng declined to give details on possible sales to the island.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Taiwan President

Taiwan Determined To Defend Itself, President Says After Defense Events

Military

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee and a strong advocate for Taiwan, said on Saturday he thought there would be future joint U.S.-Taiwanese weapons production, something Taipei has pushed for.
The United States is Taiwan&#8217;s most important international backer and weapons supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, though since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year no new arms sales have been announced.
Asked at a news conference in Taipei about the prospect for joint production of weapons including drones, Wicker, a Republican, was upbeat.
&#8220;I think there&#8217;s going to be joint production and joint efforts and that will depend on the skills present both on this side of the Pacific Ocean and ours, and actually we&#8217;re open to suggestion and innovation in that regard,&#8221; he said, at the end of a two-day visit where he met Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.
A Taiwan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that co-production of weapons was &#8220;very important.&#8221;
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Wicker is one of the fiercest supporters in the U.S. Congress for Taiwan. Beijing, which regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington, has criticised his visit saying it opposes official interactions between Taiwan and the United States.
He is in Taiwan at a time the island is facing a 20% tariff on exports to the United States, as part of Trump&#8217;s sweeping new trade policy on many other parts of the world.
Wicker noted there were talks on trade going on around the world.
&#8220;That in no way affects the defence alliance and friendship and determination that the United States has to be a friend to the sovereign rights of the Taiwanese people to enjoy their democracy,&#8221; he said.
Administration officials have said that Trump remains fully committed to Asia-Pacific security matters as he pursues his trade agenda and a good personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
China claims the democratically governed island as its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Beijing has stepped up military and political pressure against the island in recent years.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Roger Wicker

Senior Republican Senator Expects Joint Weapons Production With Taiwan

The following is an edited excerpt from a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-250810-member-exclusive?elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Morning+Wire&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">Morning Wire Weekend Edition interview</a> where Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley sat down with U.S. Navy retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. They discussed his recent trip to Taiwan, where he had meetings with senior officials, including the president and senior military leadership. Here are five key takeaways. 

* * *
<h3>1. America Is Taiwan’s Primary Key Ally</h3>
First, they&#8217;re very appreciative of the United States. They understand the United States is their key ally and they make that very clear. No one else sells them weapons. No one else stands by them when they&#8217;re threatened by the Chinese. That doesn&#8217;t mean they don&#8217;t get some rhetorical support from the Australians or the Japanese on occasion or from European countries. But when it comes to ship movements, aircraft movements, it&#8217;s us. So number one, they get that.
<h3>2. Taiwan Will Increase Defense Spending — But Only Buys From America</h3>
Number two, Taiwan understands that we expect them to spend more on their defense. So they&#8217;re taking their defense spending from about 2.5% this year to 3% next year. Then, I think, they&#8217;ll go to 4% and eventually 5%. The irony is, to get the spending up that high, they can only buy the weapons from us. We&#8217;re the only country who sells to them.
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-threats-we-face-how-we-win/id1576594336?i=1000721366067" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h3>3. America’s Foreign Military Sales Program Is A “Dumpster Fire”</h3>
I say this gently, our foreign military sales program is a dumpster fire. As a result, it takes seven years to get them javelin missiles; eight years to get them stinger, man-portable air missiles. These should take two, three years. So, part of the problem is U.S. foreign military sales and delivery. But the Taiwanese are going to do everything they can to get themselves to three, four, and eventually 5% [Defense spending] by the end of the Trump administration. So that&#8217;s a big deal. 
<h3>4. It Could Take Nine Years For American Weapons To Arrive In Taiwan</h3>
Our foreign military sales overseas are hampered by a bureaucratic process inside the Department of Defense and Department of State. They have to work together. They don&#8217;t do a great job. It&#8217;s also hampered by how we integrate with the weapons providers, like Raytheon or Lockheed Martin, and the back and forth with the host country. For example, we recently did a harpoon sale with Taiwan, an anti-ship cruise missile that&#8217;s really critical to the fight. The sale was locked and first approved in 2020. And I&#8217;d say the delivery is going to be completed by 2029, if we&#8217;re lucky. That should take two, three, four years max — not nine years. So, for military sales, we have a backed up docket with Taiwan alone of $12 billion – it was $18 billion just four years ago. This is way too much. Countries cannot rely on us for timely delivery of weapons if it takes five, seven, or nine years to get weapons.
<div id="attachment_960047" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-960047" class="size-large wp-image-960047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-864x576.jpg" alt="KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN - JULY 14: Taiwan President, Lai Ching-te, inspects the Han Kuang 41 exercise - Naval defensive mine-laying drill on July 14, 2025 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Taiwan. Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercise kicked off July 9 as the island steps up preparations against a potential invasion by China. Touted as the largest and longest iteration to date, this year’s drill will span around 10 days—roughly double the length of last year’s exercise. (Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2224992177.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Annabelle Chih/Getty Images</div>
<h3>5. Taiwan Must Prepare For Non-Military Attacks</h3>
Taiwan really understands that, in addition to preparing for the most likely, most dangerous scenario of a cross-strait invasion, they also have to prepare for another most likely scenario  — China attacking their societal resilience, their financial systems, their communication systems, their energy systems with diplomatic, economic, cyber and influence operations, not military attacks. While the CCP would hope to break the societal resilience of Taiwan. Taiwan has to fight that. They need to make a lot of investments in that kind of domestic resilience. And then the United States can help as well.
* * *
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-250810-member-exclusive?elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Morning+Wire&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">Catch the full interview with retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery on Morning Wire.</a></h3>

Taiwan Holds Defense Drills

‘Nine Years To Get Weapons’: An American Admiral On Defending Taiwan From China

'Nine Years To Get Weapons': An American Admiral On Defending Taiwan From China

interview

Military Weapons

Morning Wire

Pentagon

U.S. Military

U.S. Navy

A new show imagines how a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would transpire — and what consequences it would have.
“Zero Day Attack” —  a 10-part series that draws its <a href="https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/zero_day_attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">name</a> from a cyber attack that takes advantage of an unknown system vulnerability — premieres in Taiwan this week. The show, which is funded in part by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, highlights <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/with-future-at-risk-taiwan-prepares-citizens-to-resist-potential-chinese-invasion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">growing concerns</a> that the country is not prepared for a war with China.
Some hope it will serve as a wake-up call to the Taiwanese public.
“Presenting such a situation (of conflict) can lead to more discussion about what we should do if it really turns into reality one day,” said Blair Yeh, a 35-year-old engineer, after watching the first episode at the Taipei premier last week.
The show’s 17-minute <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAnZdVG041Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preview</a>, which was released last year, depicts a multi-staged hybrid attack by China. It begins when the disappearance of a Chinese plane over Taiwanese waters prompts the People’s Liberation Army to blockade the island.
Stock markets crash, and foreign governments start to evacuate their citizens. Small-scale civil war breaks out as citizens disagree on whether to fight or accede to annexation by China. China pressures jails into releasing criminals and recruits them to serve as a “fifth column.” Utter chaos follows before Chinese troops finally land on the island, formally beginning a war.
Taiwanese producers were long unwilling to tackle the subject, fearing retaliation and boycotts from China. And apprehensions remain: more than half of the show’s crew opted to remain anonymous, and some, including a director, pulled out at the last minute.
Producer Cheng Hsin-mei told the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/nightmares-of-a-chinese-invasion-inspire-taboo-breaking-entertainment-in-taiwan-d67764d9?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a> that she conceived “Zero Day” years ago, but felt the social climate wasn’t right at the time. She says the war in Ukraine pushed her to bring the show to air.
“On the surface, Taiwanese people may not seem to feel the threat, but in reality, that fear exists,” she said of a shift in the public psyche.
The premiere comes as China sends increased signals that it is preparing to attack the island, which it considers its own territory. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth <a href="https://theweek.com/news/world-news/asia-pacific/954343/what-would-happen-china-attempt-invade-taiwan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the 2025 Shangri-la Dialogue Defense Summit that a Chinese invasion of the island “could be imminent.”
Per the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the United States is committed to providing arms for Taiwan to defend itself against possible attacks from China. However, it does not require the United States to use force on Taiwan’s behalf.
Nevertheless, the United States and 19 allied countries are conducting joint <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/papering-over-strains-us-allies-prep-taiwan-war-2025-07-25/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military exercises</a> in the Pacific to build military readiness and to serve as a deterrent for Chinese aggression, in what are “the largest and most sophisticated military drills held in the Pacific since the end of World War Two.”
Speaking at the summit, Hegseth <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c071xm4x7g7o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affirmed</a> that “We do not seek to dominate or strangle China, to encircle or provoke. We do not seek regime change… but we must ensure that China cannot dominate us or our allies and partners.”
“We will not be pushed out of this critical region,” he added.
“Zero Day Attack” will begin streaming for American audiences on Amazon Prime on August 15, the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

Taiwan Flags

New Taiwanese Show Imagines A Chinese Invasion

Amazon Prime

Pete Hegseth

Television

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a firm warning to the Chinese government after Beijing launched large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan.
The joint military drills, which have yet to be formally declared, involved China&#8217;s army, navy, air, and rocket forces in a show of power aimed at the democratic island.
Taiwan&#8217;s Ministry of National Defense has tracked 71 Chinese aircraft and 21 warships, including an aircraft carrier battle group entering Taiwan&#8217;s &#8220;air defense zone.&#8221;
A spokesperson for China&#8217;s People&#8217;s Liberation Army said the exercises were meant as a &#8220;severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence,&#8221; The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5226931-white-house-china-war-games-near-taiwan/">reported</a>.
Leavitt stated in a Tuesday press conference that President Trump &#8220;is emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait&#8221; and &#8220;reiterating our opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.&#8221; The National Security Council has briefed the administration on the situation.
Leavitt said that Trump considers Taiwan a strategic partner, providing billions in military aid, while U.S. law requires Washington to treat threats to Taipei with &#8220;grave concern.&#8221;
In February, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued a joint statement in opposition to any Chinese attempt to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through force. Additionally, the State Department has removed language from its website that did not support Taipei&#8217;s independence during the Biden administration.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently met with counterparts in Japan and the Philippines, vowing to enhance United States military alliances to counter &#8220;China&#8217;s aggression&#8221; after recent displays.
Taiwan&#8217;s Presidential Office condemned &#8220;China&#8217;s blatant military provocations&#8221; on X, saying such actions &#8220;threaten peace in the Taiwan Strait&#8221; and &#8220;undermine security in the entire region.&#8221;
China views Taiwan as its sovereign territory and has repeatedly threatened to take the independently-governed island by force: &#8220;China&#8217;s reunification is an unstoppable trend — it will happen and it must happen,&#8221; a CCP spokesperson <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-military-says-it-is-conducting-exercises-around-taiwan-2025-03-31/">said</a> in defense of the drills at a news conference on Tuesday.

Karoline Leavitt

Trump White House Confronts China Over Taiwan Military Provocations

Trump Administration

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) warned this week that the threat of a surprise attack in the Pacific from Communist China was much higher than people realize because they have managed to lull the world to sleep with their repeated military exercises.
Cotton made the remarks during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt this week while talking about his new book &#8220;Seven Things You Can&#8217;t Say About China.&#8221;
&#8220;China is justly unpopular with the vast majority of Americans, and most of those Americans are very worried about China,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;But if anything, it&#8217;s actually much worse. The threat is pervasive. It&#8217;s present today. It&#8217;s not remote in the future, and it is something that affects your everyday life in America, not just, you know, something that might affect our strategic position in the world years from now.&#8221;
Cotton said that one of the greatest threats China poses to the world is with its &#8220;gray zone&#8221; activities, a term that refers to coercive actions that are shy of armed conflict, but go further than normal diplomatic, economic, and other activities, and are used to advance a nation&#8217;s interests.
He was specifically asked about the numerous incursions into Taiwanese waters and airspace by the Chinese military and whether China may one day pull the trigger and launch a surprise attack on Taiwan.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think we can ever take that for granted. I know that Taiwan, and, for that matter, Japan does not either,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;That&#8217;s why the increasing number of recent years of naval and air patrols by Communist China in Taiwan&#8217;s airspace and its waters, just like in Japan&#8217;s southwest islands, are so deeply troubling.&#8221;
&#8220;It gives the people, Liberation Army, Air Force, and Navy more opportunities to train for the operation in which they might go for the jugular in Taiwan,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It puts severe stress on Taiwan and Japan&#8217;s military — both their equipment and their people. You know, in times when you might be, say, doing operations or maintenance or training or just giving your troops a break, they have to scramble to intercept those Chinese aircraft and ships, and I think it also can&#8217;t help but to lead to a bit of a sense of complacency and dull the acuity of the antennae of everyone who&#8217;s involved.&#8221;
Cotton warned that on the 2,000th time that China illegally enters Taiwanese airspace, nothing may happen, and then the very next time, they may decide to launch a full-scale invasion.
&#8220;So I think that we have serious reason to be very concerned about all of these incursions,&#8221; he said.
WATCH:
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Tom Cotton Feb 19

Tom Cotton Sounds Alarm Over Threat Of Surprise Attack From Chinese Military

Tom Cotton

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) CEO C.C. Wei announced at the White House on Monday that his company will further invest at least $100 billion in chip-manufacturing plants in the United States over the next several years.
President Donald Trump, who attended the event where the announcement was made, noted that had TSMC manufactured the chips in Taiwan and shipped them to the United States, they would have been subjected to 25%-50% tariffs.
&#8220;By doing it here, there’s no tariffs,&#8221; Trump said.
Trump said that the deal was critical to United States national security as Taiwan faces the threat of invasion by communist China.
&#8220;Without the chips and semiconductors, nothing runs today,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t buy a car without them, you can&#8217;t &#8212; a radio, a television, you can&#8217;t get anything.&#8221;
&#8220;We thought it was very important, obviously business-wise, but we thought even in terms of national security, to have this large percentage of the chips, semiconductors, and other things&#8221; made in the United States, Trump added.
TSMC will invest the money in Arizona to expand the manufacturing plant that it has in Phoenix, where it employs 3,000 people, and will construct three new chip plants, two chip-packaging plants and a research and development center, Wei said at the White House.
TSMC came to the United States during Trump&#8217;s first term in office when it announced a $12 billion investment in Arizona, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The company has since expanded in the state, bringing its total investment up to $65 billion. The new announcement brings the company&#8217;s total investment to $165 billion.
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President Trump Makes An Investment Announcement In The Roosevelt Room Of The White House

Semiconductor Giant Announces $100 Billion Investment In U.S. Manufacturing

Arizona

Executive

National Security

Technology

U.S.

Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) said on Monday that Chinese communist dictator Xi Jinping&#8217;s mindset is much closer to Nazi Germany than the former Soviet Union.
Vance made the comparison during an interview with Hugh Hewitt while discussing what policies a second Trump administration would have when it comes to confronting an increasingly aggressive China.
Vance said that it was obvious that China wants to take over Taiwan, but it was not clear just how badly they desire the island.
&#8220;I think part of American policy over the next few years has to be to make it as costly as possible for them to seize it by force,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is why it’s important to give the Taiwanese the defensive weapon systems they need &#8230; because if we make it harder for Xi to take Taiwan, that’s going to change his calculus as much as possible.&#8221;
He noted that war game simulations have shown that it would be &#8220;extremely difficult&#8221; to repel a Chinese invasion if the Chinese managed to establish a foothold on the island.
He said that the Biden-Harris administration has failed to deliver the weapons that Taiwan needs in a timely fashion to establish deterrence.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
When asked what he knows about Xi, Vance responded that the dictator was &#8220;certainly ruthless.&#8221;
&#8220;I don’t know that he is a Leninist as much as a sort of ultra-Chinese nationalist in some ways,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think that the Nazis in the 30s and 40s are sort of a better mental frame for Xi than maybe the Soviets of the 50s and 60s.&#8221;
He said that the Chinese believe that they are destined to rule the world and that Western civilization is nothing more than a &#8220;blip in the historical radar.&#8221;
&#8220;And so I think that we have to recognize they have extremely ambitious plans, and we have to have our own ambitious plans to counter it,&#8221; he said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a>: Chinese dictator Xi Jinping is a &#8220;ruthless&#8221; &#8220;ultra-Chinese nationalist&#8221; who is like &#8220;the Nazis in the 30s and 40s&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/CW46NMVtja">pic.twitter.com/CW46NMVtja</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1848393232163483889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2024</a></blockquote>

Republican Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance Holds News Conference On Crime And Safety In Kenosha, Wisconsin

JD Vance: Chinese Dictator Xi Jinping’s Mindset Similar To Nazi Germany

Elections

JD Vance

Nazi Germany

Soviet Union

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said during an interview that aired over the weekend that if communist China invades Taiwan the impact on the global economy will be ten times larger than the impact from Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine.
Haley made the remarks during an interview on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with Margaret Brennan while talking about the threat China poses to the world.
She discussed a recent trip she took to Taiwan where she learned about how they are preparing militarily for a potential war with China, including by reducing investment in China, extending the length of required military service for 18-year-olds, and training with the U.S.
&#8220;When it comes to our allies, when it comes to freedom-loving countries, we need to be the best friend to them that we can, because, if China takes Taiwan, what we saw with Russia and Ukraine, it affected 1 percent of GDP, and you saw the economy shake from that,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-full-transcript-09-08-2024/">said</a>. &#8220;If China takes Taiwan, it would be 10 percent of the global GDP. That&#8217;s $10 trillion, compared to the $1 trillion in Ukraine. We need to care about that. We need to care about it from freedom. We need to care about it from the economy. We need to care about it from security.&#8221;
She said that Americans should not assume that everything will be &#8220;OK&#8221; if the U.S. goes into isolationist mode and ignores Russian and Chinese aggression.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724361346607000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZhyOQfEkxcMH_D1Ago3CQ">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
&#8220;What Taiwan is asking for is joint military training and to partner with us so that they can make weapons to defend themselves, and they want intelligence-sharing,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The best way to prevent war from China is to start arming Taiwan now and making sure that they&#8217;re ready.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think we need to send U.S. troops to defend Taiwan,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NikkiHaley</a> says, after President Biden said he would be willing to send U.S. troops but neither Donald Trump nor JD Vance have said so.
&#8220;Taiwan does not want troops,&#8221; she says, adding that Taiwan instead wants joint… <a href="https://t.co/jJVWQ6z6vJ">pic.twitter.com/jJVWQ6z6vJ</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1832804175236719101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2024</a></blockquote>

Nikki Haley Visits “FOX & Friends”

Nikki Haley Explains What The Economic Impact Will Be If China Invades Taiwan

Economy

Nikki Haley

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