Growing distrust of U.S. among Taiwanese could help Beijing: Scholars

Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) Taiwan's growing distrust of the United States, especially in view of President Donald Trump's tariffs and semiconductor policies, could harm Washington's long-term interests and benefit Beijing instead, American scholars warned Monday.

In an article published online Monday by the German Marshall Fund, a U.S.-based think tank, Bonnie Glaser and Jennifer Lan wrote that Taiwanese people have historically favored the United States, but that the favorable view is quickly declining.

Citing recent American and Taiwanese public opinion polls, the two scholars said Taiwanese have felt "distrust and skepticism" toward Washington in recent months.

One of the surveys cited was a Brookings Institution report in April 2025 showing that 40.5 percent of Taiwanese held a negative view of the United States, up from 24.2 percent in July 2024.

Such "U.S. skepticism" is fueled by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) expansion of production facilities to the U.S. under Trump's America First policy, which many in Taiwan believe could weaken Taiwan's strategic importance, the article said.

Trump's tariffs on Taiwan are also taking a toll on the U.S.' image, they said.

"The shift in public opinion, if it endures or even worsens, could set back U.S. interests," the authors warned.

"The rising uneasiness could induce despair about Taiwan's future, providing the PRC [People's Republic of China] with an opportunity to advance its long-term strategy of convincing Taiwan citizens that their best and perhaps only option is unification on Beijing's terms.

"The dismay may also embolden the PRC to undertake riskier actions to compel unification, such as challenging Taiwan's jurisdiction over nearby waters, implementing a quarantine or a blockade, or seizing one of Taiwan's outlying islands," the authors wrote.

To counter the growing skepticism in Taiwan, Glaser and Lan suggested that Trump could deliver a remark to "make it clear that Taiwan matters to the United States."

Washington could also mull approving and ensuring "timely delivery of asymmetric weapons to Taiwan, including by using presidential drawdown authority and foreign military financing."

The White House could also "facilitate, not hamper, transits of the United States by Taiwan's presidents," and Congress could expedite approval of an agreement to avoid double taxation to remove investment barriers, the article suggested.

Asked to comment on the views expressed in the article, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) told CNA that both Taipei and Washington "are paying close attention to discussion in Taiwanese society of the "U.S. skepticism" narratives.

The two sides are trying to prevent the "skepticism" from being used by "malicious actors" to launch cognitive warfare against Taiwan, MOFA said in a press statement.

"Taiwan also looks forward to continued cooperation with the U.S. in the security, economic, and trade sectors, to demonstrate the close bilateral partnership," it said.