bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Phoebe Zhang

Most people in Taiwan do not see US President Donald Trump as serious about deterring Beijing from a possible attack on the self-ruled island, according to the results of a recent poll released on Tuesday.
Asked whether Trump was willing to prevent mainland China from attacking the island, nearly 45 per cent of the 1,070 respondents said no, while more than 34 per cent said yes.
The poll was conducted by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation between October 13 and 15.
On whether the US leader was “capable” of preventing an attack by mainland China, opinions were almost evenly divided – with more than 45 per cent saying yes while close to 43 per cent said no.
The results signalled “a wave of pessimism” and “deep worry” in Taiwan, suggesting wavering confidence in the US, the foundation said in its analysis of the results.
Scepticism over America’s defence commitment has run high in Taiwan during Trump’s second presidential term.


The foundation’s poll in May found that more than 57 per cent of respondents no longer believed the US was a reliable partner of Taiwan, while less than a third still viewed Washington as dependable.
That sentiment persists despite the US president’s repeated assertions that he and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, had reached an understanding that Beijing would not attack Taiwan while Trump was in office.
On Monday, during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Washington, Trump said Beijing did not want to attack Taiwan and posed no real threat in the Indo-Pacific region.
“China doesn’t want to do that,” the US leader said. He added that Taiwan would be a topic of discussion when he meets Xi in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later this month.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Trump separately said the South Korea visit would be part of a broader trip through Asia that would include Malaysia and Japan.
His remarks on Monday echoed what he stated in an interview with Fox News in August, when he said Xi told him that as long as he was in the White House, Beijing would not take military action against Taiwan.
In response to Trump’s latest comments, Taiwan’s defence minister, Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, said he believed the US leader’s remarks were fundamentally rooted in deterrence and an emphasis on the importance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
“Deterrence must be based on strength to ensure the peaceful and stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait, which is also the position of the defence ministry,” added Koo. “We believe peace can only be achieved through strength.”
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the US since Trump’s return to the White House had repeatedly and explicitly reaffirmed its long-standing support for Taiwan.
“The ministry has been closely monitoring interactions between the United States and China,” according to Wang Liang-yu, director of the ministry’s North American affairs.
Communication channels between Taipei and Washington remained smooth and active, Wang said.
“We will continue to follow related developments closely and stay in close contact with the US side to ensure the steady deepening of Taiwan-US relations and the effective safeguarding of Taiwan’s national interests.”
Additional reporting by Lawrence Chung in Taipei


China and Russia must be on guard to stop Japan causing trouble, Chinese ex-diplomat warns

China reveals radio communication heard before mid-air stand-off with Japanese fighter jets

Tokyo ‘monitoring’ Beijing backlash; Taiwan’s RedNote ban: SCMP daily highlights

Eye on mainland China as Taiwan passes stiffer penalties for undersea cable damage

Taiwan

Donald Trump isn’t serious about deterring Beijing from attacking Taiwan: poll

Scepticism over America’s defence commitment has run high in Taiwan during Donald Trump’s second presidential term. Photo: Reuters

Trump downplays Beijing threat to Taiwan as Australia touts rare earths deal

US President Donald Trump greets Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House on Monday. Photo: AFP

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) and US President Donald Trump during their meeting at the White House on Monday. Photo: EPA

Taiwan sets out new rules outlining when troops can shoot down drones

A Taiwanese soldier aims a drone jammer during a training exercise in 2024. Photo: AFP

No major PLA activity near Taiwan after ‘troublemaker’ William Lai’s policy speech

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te delivers the annual Double Tenth address on October 10 in Taipei. Photo: EPA

PLA activities are regularly conducted near Taiwan as part of Beijing’s pressure campaign against the island. Photo: Weibo/PLA Eastern Theatre Command

Xi congratulates Taiwan’s new KMT leader, calls for efforts to ‘advance reunification’

Cheng Li-wun delivers a speech after winning the KMT leadership vote in Taipei on Saturday. Photo: AP

A KMT member votes in the party’s leadership election at a polling station in Taipei. Photo: AP

William Lai wants a ‘T-Dome’ missile shield for Taiwan. Will it remain a pie in the sky?

Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets in October 2023. Analysts have noted that Taiwan faces far more complex threats than Israel. Photo: Reuters

News

China

Politics

Most respondents on self-ruled island think the US leader is capable but unwilling to prevent military action, despite his assurances


Most respondents on self-ruled island think the US leader is capable but unwilling to prevent military action, despite his assurances.


US-China relations

United States

Donald Trump

Donald Trump isn’t serious about deterring Beijing from attacking Taiwan: poll

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Most respondents on self-ruled island think the US leader is capable but unwilling to prevent military action, despite his assurances

Most respondents on self-ruled island think the US leader is capable but unwilling to prevent military action, despite his assurances