Taipei, Taiwan – The Chinese government, which is preparing an attack on Taiwan, will be “frightened” that former President Donald Trump is elected to the White House again, a Taiwanese defence expert said.
Dr. Ming-Shi Shen, director of the national security division at the Institute for Defense and Security Studies, told Fox News Digital that Beijing’s ruling Communist Party likely views Biden’s China policy as more moderate than President Trump’s.
“If China’s stance is… to maintain stability and peace, [the] “Both closing the Taiwan Strait and strengthening U.S.-China relations are fine,” Shen said. “But if China [shows] China has become more aggressive. [would be more] Trump is more frightening than Biden.”
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Dr Ming-Shi Shen, director of the national security division at the Institute for Defense and Security Studies, told Fox News Digital that Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) likely sees President Biden’s China policy as more moderate than that of former President Trump (right). (Getty Images)
Shen said Trump was expected to respond “very strongly” to a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, but he argued that this was not just down to Trump himself, but also those in the government around him.
This includes China hawks such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Matthew Pottinger, who served on Trump’s National Security Council.
China sanctioned 28 members of the former Trump administration, including Pompeo and Pottinger, on the day Biden took over the White House in January 2021, for “violating China’s sovereignty.”
Dr Lai Yi-chung, from the Taiwanese think tank Prospect Foundation, told Fox News Digital that Taiwan is “grateful” for President Trump and Biden’s handling of the Taiwan-China situation.
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Former Trump officials, such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were known for taking a particularly tough stance against China.
However, he pointed out that U.S.-Taiwan relations have expanded significantly under the Trump administration.
“We know that since Trump took office in 2016, the overall policy has fundamentally changed, and the China policy has also changed for the better for Taiwan,” Lai said. “It was also under the Trump administration that the United States began to transit through the Taiwan Strait on a regular basis, which has made a great contribution to resolving Taiwan’s security concerns.”
“Many people here really appreciate what President Trump has done for Taiwan, but equally, [what] Biden Administration [is] What can we do for Taiwan?”
But Trump’s more bombastic rhetoric also worries people in Taiwan, Lai said, pointing to comments Trump made last year in which he claimed Taiwan’s semiconductor industry was “stealing” jobs from the United States.
“For us, that’s a bit of a worry,” Lai said.
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Dr Ming Xi Shen said President Biden has a more “moderate” view on China compared to his predecessor, President Trump. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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Taiwan produces about 60 percent of the world’s semiconductors, and U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in the industry is considered critical by both governments.
Trump’s comments came after the Biden administration reached an agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to expand into Arizona. The Biden administration’s Commerce Department signed a $6.6 billion contract in April that is expected to create more than 25,000 new manufacturing and construction jobs.
