(VitalNews.org) – Taiwan is under pressure to build up its defense capabilities against China as they face uncertainty with the United States elections. Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan’s foreign minister, said that they must rely on themselves for defense and that they will continue to modernize their military.
These comments came not long after former president Donald Trump said that Taipei should pay Washington for their military protection and stated that Taiwan “doesn’t give us anything.” Experts have said that Trump’s remarks truly show just how unpredictable the results of the election would be for the country. The country also faces trouble as Kamala Harris, who is now leading the Democratic Party, has much less foreign policy experience.
The concerns come heavily when looking into Donald Trump as Taiwan describes him as “unpredictable.” Biden has been more consistent in his strategies and policies, showing the substantial difference between Biden and Trump when it comes to Taiwan.
Although Trump’s stance on Taiwan is hard to pin down, he was the first president in decades to speak directly with the president of Taiwan. There has been talk of the United States supporting Taiwan in defense if anything happens with China, and Taiwan is betting on Trump to potentially be able to bring their defense.
However, the uncertainty around Trump’s mindset and his heavily transactional thoughts could potentially cause more problems for the country if he’s elected. The policy adviser and senior lecturer of international affairs at the University of the Philippines, Richard Heydarian, spoke out about the potential of what this election means.
“I think anyone who says they’re sure where the administration would head is out of their mind. I think the degree of unpredictability would be greater than ever,” he said.
There is also uncertainty around Kamala Harris as well, even though she is expected to be consistent with Joe Biden’s current foreign policy. Experts have said that there’s a lack of clarity over what Harris would do in office and where she stands on the issue of Taiwan and China. Harris has said before that she supports Taiwan, but with less foreign policy experience than Joe Biden, this could still be an issue.
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