Taiwan key to 'making America great again': Foreign minister

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) Taiwan would be a key player in helping United States President-elect Donald Trump fulfill his "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan due to the nation's crucial position in the chip sector, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Thursday.

Lin made the comments during a legislative session after it became apparent the former American leader would be returning to the White House for another four years after he defeated U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 presidential election.

He also said the Taiwan-U.S. partnership is indispensable to America becoming "great again," because the chip industry is closely linked to both countries' prosperity.

Both countries share a common interest in continuing to expand chip cooperation, Lin said.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) investments in America also benefit Taiwan's chip industry overall because it makes the sector more resilient, he added.

During his presidential campaign, Trump made controversial remarks about Taiwan, including accusing the nation of "stealing" the chip industry from the U.S. decades ago.

He has also repeatedly expressed frustration that Taipei does not pay the U.S. to fund its defense. This is despite Taiwan having outstanding orders worth US$19 billion for American weapons systems.

During the campaign, Trump said Taiwan should devote 10 percent of its GDP to defense. This would total NT$2.6 trillion (US$80 billion) per year, which according to Taiwanese lawmakers, was an unreasonable demand.

Asked by lawmakers to comment on what his ministry would do if Trump demanded Taiwan invest such a high level of funds in defense, Lin said Taiwan has been paying the U.S. for its defense for decades, without elaborating.

Over the past eight years since the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office in May 2016, Taiwan's defense budget almost doubled to more than NT$600 billion from over NT$330 billion, he said, adding that such an increase is expected to continue in years to come.

He added that the U.S. has yet to deliver around US$20 billion of weapons systems purchased by Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Lin said he was optimistic about the future Trump administration's foreign policy, as much of the ongoing Taiwan-U.S. cooperation in the current Biden administration began in Trump's first term from 2016 to 2020.

During that time, Trump normalized arms sales, established the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue platform and lifted decades-long restrictions on contact between American and Taiwanese officials.

Lin said this all represented major progress in Taiwan-U.S. relations and that his ministry would work to further progress links when Trump takes office again.