Exclusive interview: Taiwan FM addresses China tensions and US ties

Exclusive: Taiwan’s foreign minister said China “has clearly become a source of trouble that is maliciously trying to disrupt the status quo across the Strait and intimidate peaceful countries.”

In exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said that China’s intensification of “authoritarian expansion not only directly threatens Taiwan security and democratic system but also poses major challenges to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.

“Last June,” Lane said, “[Chinese] The aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong maneuvered off the second island chain, marking the first simultaneous deployment of twin carriers in the Western Pacific. These developments show that Beijing’s expansionist ambitions extend far beyond Taiwan and pose an increasingly serious threat to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region and the world.

A Taiwanese general warns that Chinese military exercises may be preparation for a blockade or war, and vows to resist them

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung answers media questions during an international press conference in Taipei on July 19, 2024. (Photo by Ai-Hua Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)

Communist China was founded in 1949 and did not rule Taiwan for even a single day. Officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan is currently recognized by eleven small states, as well as the Holy See. However, Beijing rejects the reality of nearly 80 years of separate rule, describing Taiwan as a “sacred and inalienable part of China’s territory.”

China’s stance toward autonomous Taiwan has hardened in recent years as president Xi Jinping Term limits were removed and power was almost completely consolidated. While previous Chinese statements included talk of “peaceful unification,” Beijing is now openly threatening to use force.

In 2024, Xi directed the Chinese military to complete preparations for the Taiwan operation by 2027. Most defense analysts agree that an invasion would be costly, bloody and too risky for China, Taiwan and any country that came to Taiwan’s aid, such as the United States or Japan.

The military exercises mobilize the Chinese navy, army, air force and coast guard, and are seen as punishment for Taiwan’s refusal to submit to Beijing’s rule. (Daniel Singh/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Lin repeated those warnings that the conflict in the Taiwan Strait would reverberate around the world. “Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are vital to global security and prosperity,” Lin said, noting that nearly 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors are produced in Taiwan and nearly 50 percent of global commercial shipping passes through the Strait. He added that Taiwan is grateful to the United States and other partners for resisting China’s efforts to unilaterally change the status quo.

The Foreign Minister said Taiwan’s central role in geopoliticsTechnology and supply chains ensure that Washington gives a high priority to cross-Strait stability. He said US policymakers recognize that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry and related supply chains are critical to US economic security.

China surrounds Taiwan with warships and fighter planes in the largest military exercise on record

A Jin 094A nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine of the People’s Liberation Army Navy during a military parade in the South China Sea on April 12, 2018. (Reuters/Stringer)

“There is a clear strategic continuity between the policies of President Trump’s first and second terms,” ​​Lin said, adding that the Taiwan government will seek ways to coordinate with the United States “through… Alliance based on values and economic diplomacy.”

Commenting on Washington’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, Lin said: “The Trump administration and the US Congress continue to demonstrate their steadfast commitment to protecting peace and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” which was reiterated at the summit. National Security Strategy 2025 (NSS)The Secretary of State also noted that “the Trump administration’s recent National Security Strategy emphasized Taiwan’s geopolitical importance as a link between the Northeast and Southeast Asian theaters.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, reviews troops as he inspects a Chinese People’s Liberation Army garrison stationed in the Macao Special Administrative Region, south China, on December 20, 2024. (Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Lin said Taiwan is working to rebalance trade with the United States while enhancing strategic cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. He said, “The Artificial Intelligence Action Plan drawn up by the Trump administration emphasizes the importance of innovation, infrastructure, and international cooperation for the development of artificial intelligence.”

He also praised Taiwan’s increasing investments in the United States, including a $165 billion commitment by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in Arizona, and said Taipei was working to make it easier for Taiwanese companies trying to invest in the United States. “Against the backdrop of strategic competition between the United States and China and the restructuring of global supply chains, Taiwanese companies are realizing the great potential of investing in the United States,” Lin said.

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Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan’s current Foreign Minister, speaks to reporters in his capacity as Cabinet spokesman on Wednesday, March 24, 2004. (David Hartung/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Foreign Minister said that Taiwan appreciates the increased US military support, highlighting that “last December, the United States approved a plan Arms sales package to Taiwan A total of $11 billion, in addition to the signing of the Taiwan Safeguards Implementation Act and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. These actions confirm the company’s Bipartisan support for Taiwan In the American government.”

But he stressed that Taiwan is working to accelerate its defense investments. “Last year, [Taiwan] President Lai Ching-te announced that Taiwan’s defense budget would rise to more than 3% of GDP by 2026 and rise to 5% by 2030. While parts of this plan have faced resistance in the opposition-led legislature, both major parties have publicly supported closer security cooperation with the United States and a stronger deterrence posture.