Taiwan Defence Boost: Taiwan is looking more worried these days, and many people are asking if the island is slowly getting ready for a bigger fight. After China’s Two Sessions ended, many were watching for a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. That meeting was expected to happen near the end of March, but recent reporting says the trip has been pushed back because Trump wants to stay in the US during the Iran war.
Simultaneously Beijing has been using sharper words on Taiwan and saying it will “resolutely fight separatist forces aimed at ‘Taiwan independence’ and oppose external interference”. That has made people think the Taiwan issue may become even more serious in the next few months.
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For a while, the Taiwan Strait looked quieter than usual. Reports said Chinese military planes had reduced activity for several days, and some experts felt this may have been a signal before a possible Xi-Trump summit. But that calm did not last. Taiwan later said it tracked 12 PLA aircraft, nine naval vessels, and two official ships around the island, with five aircraft crossing the median line, reported DW. So even if things looked softer for a moment, the pressure did not really go away.
Bigger Defence Plans
The fear in Taiwan is not only about military planes and ships. It is also about money, weapons, and how ready the island really is if China keeps pushing harder. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had proposed a big extra defence package worth $40 billion, but that plan got stuck in parliament, where the opposition has slowed it down. Reuters also reported that Taiwan’s defence minister recently said China is a serious and urgent threat, even though US intelligence does not think Beijing is planning to invade right now.
Strong Message From the US
That is why a bipartisan group of 37 US lawmakers sent a letter to Taiwan’s parliament. They warned that “The threat posed by the People’s Republic of China against Taiwan has never been greater. [Chinese President] Xi Jinping is focusing every element of the PRC’s national power to control Taiwan,” and they pushed lawmakers to pass stronger defence spending. Taiwan’s opposition side answered more carefully.
The TPP said it understood the American concerns, but also said spending must still follow democratic checks and careful use of public money. This shows Taiwan is under pressure from outside, but it is also still arguing inside about how much defence money should be approved and how fast.
Help with Risks
At the same time, Taiwan is also trying to make itself more important to Washington in business and technology. The US and Taiwan recently finalized a trade agreement that keeps US tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15%. The deal also gives better access for US exporters to parts of Taiwan’s market, and Taipei agreed to buy large amounts of American goods including $44.4 billion of liquefied natural gas and crude oil.
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Taiwanese semiconductors also got better treatment under the agreement. President Lai called it “This is a new chapter for Taiwan’s foreign trade,” and said it would link Taiwan’s chip and ICT industries more closely with the US AI sector. The deal still needs approval from Taiwan’s parliament.
Taiwan is clearly trying to get safer, buy time, and build stronger support from the US while China keeps turning up the heat. Beijing wants less US backing for Taiwan, especially on arms sales and official ties. Washington does not look ready to give China the kind of Taiwan promise Beijing wants. That means the gap is still there.
