Trump scuote il mondo: “Taiwan deve pagarci per la difesa”

Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday.

Taiwan “should pay” the United States for defence, US presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a wide-ranging interview that has cast doubt on the relationship between Washington and Taipei should he be re-elected in November.

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published on Tuesday, the former president was asked if he would defend self-ruled Taiwan from China, which claims the island as part of its territory.

“I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business. I think, Taiwan should pay us for defence,” he said, according to a transcript released by Bloomberg.

“You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything.”

While Washington does not diplomatically recognise the island, it is a key partner and major weapons provider to Taipei, and recently passed a multi-billion-dollar military aid package aimed at countering Beijing in the region.

Taiwan is also a major powerhouse in the crucial semiconductor industry, producing the majority of the advanced microchips needed to power the global economy.

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A leader in the field is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which has been a key beneficiary of Washington’s Chips and Science Act — passed in 2022 to attract companies to invest in building chip factories on American soil.

Thanks to the law, TSMC is building two plants in the United States and announced plans for a third in April, bringing its total investment up to $65 billion.

Trump lamented in the interview that Washington was “giving them billions of dollars to build new chips in our country, and then they’re going to take that too”.

“I don’t think we’re any different from an insurance policy. Why? Why are we doing this? They took almost 100% of our chip industry, I give them credit,” he said.

Acknowledging Trump’s comments on Wednesday, Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai pointed out Taipei had steadily boosted its defence budget in recent years.

“We are willing to take on more responsibility; we are defending ourselves and ensuring our security,” he told reporters during a press briefing.

“We are also clear that Taiwan-US relations have been very strong in recent years. Maintaining peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region is our common responsibility and goal.”

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China has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and has also ramped up rhetoric about “unification” being “inevitable”.

Donald Trump scuote la politica internazionale con dichiarazioni incendiarie sulla difesa di Taiwan, affermando che l’isola dovrebbe “pagare” gli Stati Uniti per la protezione. In un’intervista a Bloomberg Businessweek, il candidato presidenziale non ha usato mezzi termini, insinuando che Taiwan ha beneficiato enormemente degli Stati Uniti senza dare nulla in cambio.

“Conosco molto bene il popolo taiwanese, li rispetto immensamente. Hanno preso quasi il 100% del nostro business dei chip. Penso che Taiwan dovrebbe pagarci per la difesa,” ha detto Trump, paragonando gli Stati Uniti a una compagnia di assicurazioni che non riceve alcun premio da Taiwan. “Sai, non siamo diversi da una compagnia di assicurazioni. Taiwan non ci dà nulla.”

Queste parole gettano ombre sulla già delicata relazione tra Washington e Taipei. Sebbene gli Stati Uniti non riconoscano diplomaticamente l’isola, sono il suo principale fornitore di armi e hanno recentemente approvato un pacchetto di aiuti militari di miliardi di dollari per contrastare l’influenza di Pechino nella regione.

Taiwan, leader mondiale nella produzione di semiconduttori, ha risposto per voce del premier Cho Jung-tai, sottolineando l’impegno dell’isola nella propria difesa. “Siamo disposti a prenderci maggiori responsabilità; stiamo difendendo noi stessi e garantendo la nostra sicurezza,” ha dichiarato Cho, ribadendo la forza dei legami tra Taiwan e gli Stati Uniti. “Mantenere la pace e la stabilità dello Stretto di Taiwan e della regione indo-pacifica è la nostra responsabilità e obiettivo comune.”

La Cina, dal canto suo, non ha mai nascosto l’intenzione di usare la forza per reclamare Taiwan, definendo l’unificazione “inevitabile”.

Foto: [autore anonimo]

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