Trump says Taiwan should pay more for defense and dodges questions if he would defend the island

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump demanded the self-governed island of Taiwan pay for U.S. protection, dodged the question of whether he would defend the island from Beijing’s military action, and accused the island of taking the semiconductor industry away from the United States.

“Taiwan should pay us for defense,” Trump said, in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “You know, we’re no different than an insurance company.”

Trump’s remarks, made public Tuesday, mark a departure from the stance of President Joe Biden, who has said several times that he would send troops to defend the island, and add uncertainty to Trump’s approach to Taiwan at a time his running mate, JD Vance, has called China the “biggest threat” for the United States.

In Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai responded that Taiwan is “willing to take on more responsibility” and would defend itself.

“I believe that as long as we continue to demonstrate (these efforts), we will receive support from more countries,” Cho said, thanking Washington for repeatedly expressing concerns over Taiwan’s security, according to Central News Agency, Taiwan’s official wire service.

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