讀後心得

At the beginning of his presidency, U.S. President Trump’s foreign policy sparked a "doubt about the U.S." sentiment within Taiwanese society. Although the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense appointed by Trump value U.S.-Taiwan relations, his intentions regarding Taiwan remain unclear. The relationship between Taiwan and the United States in defense, semiconductors, technological cooperation, and energy is worth paying attention to. The Taiwanese government plans to increase its defense budget to 3% of GDP, but if the U.S. requests an increase to 5%, it could be detrimental to Taiwan's development. In the semiconductor industry, the future of Taiwanese enterprises is influenced by U.S. strategies, which may lead to a brain drain. Technological cooperation can be enhanced, but the U.S. holds reservations about cooperation in the mid-level market between the two sides. Regarding energy policy, Taiwan’s energy allocation is inadequate, which may lead to shortages. The U.S. encourages Taiwan to procure its nuclear and energy products, further deepening dependence. Overall, whether the DPP government can effectively advocate for Taiwan's interests remains to be seen.

Since taking office more than two months ago, U.S. President Trump’s foreign policy has drawn widespread attention and has led to a resurgence of the "suspicion of America" sentiment in Taiwanese society. Although the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense appointed by Trump have emphasized Taiwan-U.S. relations, Trump has recently mentioned Taiwan-U.S. relations almost not at all, and his policy intentions regarding Taiwan appear vague. Besides the recent tariff disputes, key observations of Taiwan-U.S. relations can be focused on four main areas: defense, semiconductors, technology cooperation, and energy.

• Regarding defense, the Democratic Progressive Party government has worked to increase the proportion of related budgets to GDP from about 2.45% to 3% (approximately NT$790 billion), which is about 25% of the central government's total budget. If the Trump administration forces Taiwan to raise its defense budget to 5% of GDP (approximately NT$1.3 trillion), it would reach 41% of the total budget, which may have a negative impact on Taiwan's overall development.

• In the semiconductor industry, what many Taiwan people consider as the "Silicon Shield" has become a "Silicon Card," and before Trump announced "reciprocal tariffs," this card had already been handed over to the U.S. TSMC and its upstream and downstream supply chain manufacturers may impact Taiwan's economic development and talent outflow.

• Regarding technology cooperation, Taiwan and the U.S. have established foundational cooperation in fields such as artificial intelligence, perceptual chips, and big data, and the U.S. side has requested that the process must not involve technologies and components from Mainland China, allowing Taiwan's enterprises and talents to delve deeper into the U.S.-led high-end market. However, whether the U.S. will further oppose cross-strait cooperation in the mid-range market will become a major concern.

• Concerning the energy industry, the Democratic Progressive Party government’s energy policy is poorly allocated and may lead to energy shortages, affecting people's livelihoods and national security. The U.S. has hinted that to promote its energy products, the Democratic Progressive Party government might consider opening nuclear energy and purchasing U.S. nuclear energy, petrochemical energy, etc., which may deepen Taiwan's dependence on the U.S.

Overall, it remains to be observed whether the Democratic Progressive Party government can objectively assess the situation to secure sufficient space and benefits for Taiwan.