Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

During his meeting with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who was recently named part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “core” — said that “1.3 billion Chinese will not agree to Taiwanese independence. We are determined, able and prepared to handle the problem of Taiwanese independence. If we do not handle that, we will be overthrown.”

It was as if the future of the CCP depends on which direction Taiwan takes. Was Xi saying that to threaten Taiwan, or was he trying to conceal his insecurities? If Taiwan really is that important to China, the CCP is extremely vulnerable.

After US president-elect Donald Trump’s stunning victory at the polls, Taiwan faces the question of what it means for US foreign policy and how Taipei should respond to a post-US President Barack Obama world.

Taiwan has long maintained a relatively close relationship with the US Republican Party due to the party’s anti-communist stance, not to mention that in July, the Republican National Convention included, for the first time, the “six assurances” — given to Taiwan by then-US president Ronald Reagan in 1982 — in its official platform.