Taiwan’s diplomatic outreach in the US has been widely praised in Washington and Europe, especially its success in cultivating support from US politicians from across the political spectrum.
In a recent article for Politico, Alexander Burns wrote that “Europe has much to learn” from Taiwan’s successful diplomatic efforts.
However, former US president Donald Trump’s recent transactional comments about Taiwan, and the US Republican Party’s renewed skepticism about commitments abroad show that the nation’s diplomatic corps has more work to do to make the nation’s case, especially if Trump wins in November.
Taiwan’s de facto embassy has been running a “sophisticated” diplomatic operation in the US by cultivating senior politicians and engaging with the grassroots to embed support for Taiwan at the local level, such as in state legislatures, Burns wrote in “How Taiwan conquered US politics — and showed Europe how it’s done.”
There are “pro-Taiwan caucuses in more than a dozen state legislatures, in left-leaning territory like Connecticut and in MAGA bastions like West Virginia and Kentucky,” Burns said.
Then-representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) spearheaded a “determined, years-long campaign to win over American officials at every level and cement the island’s political standing,” he wrote, adding that she “was a formidable field marshal in this charm offensive.”
Taiwan has also built a strong bond with political networks such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (AEC).
“The group has embraced Taiwan’s cause, drafting sample text for pro-Taiwan legislation that members have advanced all over the country,” Burns said.
“Taiwan has done an excellent job of having the diplomatic infrastructure you need to communicate not just in the beltway, but outside of Washington,” AEC senior director of international relations Karla Jones said.
However, although Taiwanese diplomats have made great strides in building support for the nation across US politics, there is still work to do to boost ties and understanding with a section of the Republican Party, which is turning toward isolationism.
For the first time since 1980, the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) platform, which in 2016 called Taiwan a “loyal friend” and pledged to “help Taiwan defend itself” (it did not produce one in 2020), has omitted any mention of Taiwan in this year’s release. Phelim Kein for Politico’s “China Watcher” newsletter said that Taiwanese officials asked the party to include a reference to Taiwan’s importance to Indo-Pacific security, but were rebuffed.
This comes as Trump in an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday cast aspersions on the US’ relationship with the nation as being anything more than transactional. He said that Taiwan treated the US like an insurance policy and said “Taiwan should pay us for defense.”
The good news for Taiwan is Trump’s selection of US Senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate. Vance believes that US foreign policy should prioritize Asia and see Taiwan as a core US interest.
“The thing that we need to prevent more than anything is a Chinese invasion of Taiwan,” he said in April.
Vance has criticized US President Joe Biden, saying that he should have sent more weapons to Taiwan.
As a famous columnist for The Atlantic once said, take “Trump seriously, not literally.” His statements do not mean he would abandon Taiwan, but the nation should take his statements seriously about the need to play a bigger role in funding its defense.
Trump’s statements and the RNC omission demonstrate that Taiwanese diplomats must redouble their efforts to reach all sections of the US political scene.
However, the best way to help them do their job is for the nation to boost its defense spending.
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