U.S. expert warns of shifting geopolitics, urges Taiwan to align with Trump

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) United States foreign policy analyst and former White House official Ryan Hass cautioned against what he described as "a selfish pursuit of national interest" in the shifting landscape of global geopolitics at a talk in Taipei on Thursday.

At the same time, Hass said Taiwan's government leaders would be "off to a good start" by "packag[ing] their views" in line with the incoming U.S. administration under President-elect Donald Trump.

"We are going to be in a period of selfish pursuit of national interest," said Hass, who served on the U.S. National Security Council staffers from 2013 to 2017 under former President Barack Obama.

Hass is currently the director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, which co-hosted Thursday's event with Taiwan's Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER).

"Many countries will look out for themselves and their own interests" as the world is entering a new geopolitical era and there will be less coordination among countries in the face of global challenges, he said.

Hass underscored the need for Taiwan's government to "continue making the case... peace and stability [across the Taiwan Strait] is a prerequisite for a functioning global economy and for stability" in the Indo-Pacific.

"Every country that is connected to the global economy has a stake in what happens in Taiwan, in Taiwan's security," he said.

The analyst also noted that Taiwan, where the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been in power since 2016, experienced dealing with Trump during his first presidency and that it should be "as well-positioned as anyone to be able to manage and navigate the period to come."

Nevertheless, Taiwan's leaders "can package their view of the future relationship in ways that resonate with the incoming Trump administration, including the language that they use," he said, adding that "it will help get the relationship off to a good start."

"So thinking less about, for example, 'democracy versus authoritarianism,' which was more in the Biden administration's view of the world, and more toward 'peace through strength'," he said of Trump's foreign policy slogan.

Asked if that means Taiwan will be asked to spend more on defense, Hass said the new administration "would welcome additional investment by Taiwan in its own defense but that'll be a choice that ultimately is with the Taiwan people to decide."

The U.S.' and Taiwan's interests are "broadly convergent," he said. "We want a safe, secure, prosperous, [and] confident Taiwan."