Moments after the attempt to assassinate former US president Donald Trump at an election campaign rally on Saturday, he stood up and raised his clenched fist to send his supporters a message of defiance — a gesture that would surely appeal to Americans’ worship of heroism. Combined with US President Joe Biden’s frequent slips of the tongue, this event seemingly puts Trump very close to his goal of a second term in the White House.
Trump, who comes from a business background, failed to get re-elected in the previous presidential election, but if he is voted in for a second term this year, he would seek to implement his election slogan of “Make America Great Again.” As he did last time, he would probably use tariffs as his preferred tool for revitalizing the US economy, and if so, China is likely to be the prime target.
Taiwan has long depended on China, the so-called “world’s factory.” However, from the COVID-19 pandemic and US inflation to the chip war, Taiwanese entrepreneurs in China have suffered the pain of US-China rivalry. The current momentum is rolling toward a second Trump presidency. If he is elected and again takes aim at China, it could lead to a second round of US inflation. Taiwanese businesses operating in China should prepare in advance by moving to other regions, such as Southeast Asia, India or Mexico to avoid getting caught up in the storm.
Apart from the US, the EU is quite upset about China’s “cheap” electric vehicle exports. Major Chinese automakers are being forced to avoid high tariff penalties by moving their production to Europe. China’s role as “the world’s factory” is clearly now on shaky ground, and a worldwide trade war could easily break out.
With these trends in mind, hardworking Taiwanese businesspeople in China must keep an eye on the climate and make sure they are well-prepared for the mercurial Trump’s highly unpredictable moves.
Fang Fu-chuan is an international trader.
Translated by Julian Clegg
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then