Will the US Trade Taiwan for TikTok and Tariffs?
Now that Trump and Xi have started talking, Taipei looks increasingly vulnerable.
A precarious position.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
Under President Donald Trump, the relationship between the US and China has been defined by the three Ts — TikTok, Tariffs, and Taiwan. So it’s no surprise China is again pressing the US to change a decades-old phrase describing its stance on Taiwan independence. If this were to go ahead, it would be a blow to the self-governed island’s hard-won status and place President Lai Ching-te’s government in a precarious position.
Any immediate shift in US policy is unlikely, and even if Washington were to do what Beijing seeks, the consequences may not be instantly visible. Over time, though, trading Taipei’s status for better deals on TikTok and tariffs would erode US primacy in the Indo-Pacific and blunt American business interests in the region.