Following a high-profile meeting in Beijing between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Taiwan’s representative to the United States defended his nation’s security posture on Sunday, stating that Taiwan only seeks to prevent the Communist People’s Republic of China from “swallowing” it.
The diplomatic back-and-forth intensified after President Trump appeared to signal a potential shift in America’s approach to Taiwan during a Friday interview with Fox News host Bret Baier. In response to those remarks, Taiwanese representative Alexander Yui appeared on “Face the Nation” with host Margaret Brennan, clarifying that Taiwan is not the party driving up geopolitical friction in Asia.
Yui framed the regional tensions by comparing Taiwan to a private home trying to protect itself from an outside threat. He emphasized that Taiwan’s defense upgrades are entirely reactive.
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“President Trump doesn’t want a war 9,500 miles away. We don’t want a war, you know. We want peace and stability. We want to have our lives going as, you know, as usual,” Yui said. “But we’re not the ones creating all this trouble.”
He expanded on the analogy, noting the irony of Beijing’s complaints regarding Taiwan’s defensive measures.
“And that’s why, you know, it’s like our house: those are intruders trying to get into our house; we’re trying to beef up our security system,” Yui said. “And then they complain— the intruder complains that, because we’re trying to improve our security system, it’s making his job harder.”
While Beijing has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan for decades, labeling it a renegade province, the island has historically relied on military support from Washington. Yui noted that Taiwan remains appreciative that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly affirmed while in Beijing that there is no change in the U.S.’s “longstanding position” on the region.
When questioned about the definition of Taiwanese sovereignty, Yui rejected Beijing’s narrative, pointing to the reality of the island’s governance and history.
“What is meant by ‘Taiwan independence’?” Yui stated. “My president just made a statement recently, just now, and it means that Taiwan is independent from the Chinese aggression, from the PRC [People’s Republic of China], actually. The formal name of my country is Republic of China, and we’re not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China, in any way, at all, and that’s maintaining our sovereignty, our way of life, our democracy, our vibrant economy, our high-tech production. And that is, that is what is meant by ‘independence.’ We are sovereign, independent away from the Chinese People’s Republic of China’s attempt to swallow us as one of their own. They have never ruled or controlled Taiwan, ever.”
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The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs backed this stance in an official statement released Saturday, asserting that Beijing holds no legal right or jurisdiction over the island. The ministry reiterated its intent to work closely with Washington to maintain cross-strait stability.
“The government of Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the United States, maintain peace through strength, and ensure that the security and stability of the Taiwan Strait are not threatened or undermined. This serves the shared interests of Taiwan, the United States, and democracies around the world,” the ministry stated.
The ministry also identified Beijing as the core driver of instability in the region, forcing neighboring areas to adapt.
“China’s military threat remains the primary source of regional instability, driving countries in the first island chain to strengthen their defense capabilities in coordination with the United States,” the statement added. “US arms sales to Taiwan are both part of US security commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act and a key element of collective deterrence against regional threats.”
Recent government data highlights the disparity in U.S. foreign military aid. A Government Accountability Office report revealed that while the Biden administration sent over $31.7 billion in defense articles to Ukraine, Taiwan received $1.41 billion between July 2023 and December 2024. Yui confirmed that Taiwan’s incoming assets include F-16 Block 70 fighter jets.
Yui concluded by arguing that arming Taiwan is the most practical way for the United States to avoid direct military involvement in East Asia.
“We believe in peace through strength, so actually it makes more sense for United States to sell us the arms so we can defend ourselves and so you don’t have to send your army 9,500 miles away to defend us,” Yui told Brennan.
The incoming F-16 Block 70 aircraft, a platform first introduced in 2012, features an advanced APG-83 radar and upgraded computer systems. The fighter jets are capable of deploying a wide array of air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions, including AIM-120 AMRAAMs, AIM-9 Sidewinders, AGM-65 missiles, and precision-guided bombs.
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