Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

US highlights Taiwan’s importance

Taipei Times Editorial

The White House on Thursday last week released its latest National Security Strategy report unveiling US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy for his second term. It mentioned “Taiwan” eight times, with wording regarded as more explicit, militarized and geopolitical than the previous versions, and for the first time made “deterring a conflict over Taiwan” a priority.

Regarding the Asia-Pacific region, ranked as the primary focus of the Trump administration outside of the Americas, the 33-page report stated that the US’ strategic goal is winning the economic future, and preventing military conflict.

The reality of Beijing’s rule in HK

Michael Mo 巫堃泰

Most Hong Kongers ignored the elections for its Legislative Council (LegCo) in 2021 and did so once again on Sunday. Unlike in 2021, moderate democrats who pledged their allegiance to Beijing were absent from the ballots this year. The electoral system overhaul is apparent revenge by Beijing for the democracy movement.

On Sunday, the Hong Kong “patriots-only” election of the LegCo had a record-low turnout in the five geographical constituencies, with only 1.3 million people casting their ballots on the only seats that most Hong Kongers are eligible to vote for.

Blank and invalid votes were up 50 percent from the previous LegCo election.

US NDAA draft to bolster Taiwan security

Taipei Times

The US Congress has released a new draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes up to US$1 billion in funding for Taiwan-related security cooperation next year.

The version published on Sunday by US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson removed earlier language that would have invited Taiwan to participate in the US-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC).

A statement on Johnson’s Web page said the NDAA “enhances U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to bolster Taiwan’s defense and support Indo-Pacific allies.”

Fears over Taiwan as a chip risk misplaced

Hsiao Hsi-huei 蕭錫惠

Alarm bells over a “hollowing out” of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry and US demands for “protection money” have fueled a panic over Taiwan. To understand how misplaced these fears are, consider the movements of global technology giants.

Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) CEO Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) could undoubtedly understand the situation best, and they continue to make key investments in Taiwan.

They do not make decisions on a whim. They are the architects of global computing power strategy and possess the highest levels of industry knowledge. No matter what political pundits might write, they know that Taiwan is not an industry risk — it is its center of gravity.

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