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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Trump aims to exceed first term's weapons sales to Taiwan, officials say
FILE PHOTO: Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visits Republic of China Military Academy, an officer training academy, for its 100th anniversary celebrations in Kaohsiung, Taiwan June 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo FILE PHOTO: The Taiwanese military conducts its first High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) live-fire test launch at the Jiupeng base in Pingtung, Taiwan May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo WASHINGTON/TAIPEI - The United States plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taipei to a level exceeding President Donald Trump's first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the democratic island, according to two U.S. officials. If U.S. arms sales to Taiwan do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump's commitment to the island. It would also add new friction to the tense U.S.-China relationship. The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they expect U.S. approvals for weapons sales to Taipei over the next four years to surpass those in Trump's first term, with one of the officials saying arms sales notifications to Taiwan could "easily exceed" that earlier period. They also said the United States is pressing members of Taiwan's opposition parties not to oppose the government's efforts to increase defense spending to 3% of the island's budget. The first Trump administration approved sales of approximately $18.3 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan, compared with around $8.4 billion during Joe Biden's term, according to Reuters calculations. The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei. Even so, many in Taiwan, which China claims as its own, worry that Trump may not be as committed to the island as past U.S. presidents. On the election campaign trail, Trump suggested Taiwan should pay to be protected and also accused the island of stealing American semiconductor business, causing alarm in Taipei. China has vowed to "reunify" with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. The U.S. officials said administration officials and Trump himself were committed to "enhancing hard deterrence" for Taiwan. "That's where the president is. That's where all of us are," one U.S. official said, adding that they were working closely with Taiwan on an arms procurement package to be rolled out when Taiwan secured domestic funding. Taiwan's Presidential Office told Reuters the government is determined to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and pointed to its proposals to increase defense spending. "Taiwan aims to enhance military deterrence while continuing to deepen its security cooperation with the United States," Presidential Office spokesperson Wen Lii said. Taiwan's defense ministry declined to comment on any new arms sales, but reiterated previous remarks by the island's defense minister, Wellington Koo, about the importance of "solidarity and cooperation of democratic allies." 'DON'T GET IN THE WAY' Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) aim to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP this year through a special defense budget. But the island's parliament, controlled by opposition parties the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), passed budget cuts earlier this year that threatened to hit defense spending. That triggered concerns in Washington, where officials and lawmakers have regularly said the U.S. cannot show more urgency over Taiwan's defense than the island itself. "We're messaging pretty hard (in Taipei) to the opposition. Don't get in the way of this. This isn't a Taiwanese partisan question. This is a Taiwanese survival question," one of the U.S. officials told Reuters. Three people in Taiwan with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed that the U.S. government and U.S. congressional visitors have been pressing the opposition parties in Taiwan not to block defense spending, especially the coming special defense budget, which is expected to be proposed to parliament later this year. "As long as they knew there were people from the opposition in the room, they directly asked them not to cut the defense budget," one of the people said. Alexander Huang, director of the KMT's international department, told Reuters it was "beyond question" that the party firmly supports increasing the defense budget and its "doors are open" to the U.S. government and the ruling DPP for consultations. "Supporting an increased budget does not mean serving as a rubber stamp, nor does it preclude making adjustments or engaging in negotiations regarding the special budget proposals put forth by the DPP administration," he added. The much smaller TPP said it has "always had smooth communication with the U.S. side and has continued to engage in in-depth dialogue on issues such as national defense and regional security." Reuters reported in February that Taiwan was exploring a multi-billion dollar arms purchase from the U.S., hoping to win support from the new Trump administration. New weapons packages are expected to focus on missiles, munitions and drones, cost-effective means to help improve Taiwan's chances of rebuffing any military action by China's much larger forces. For years, China has been steadily ramping up its military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over the island that is home to critical chip manufacturing vital to the global economy. Separately, one of the U.S. officials said the Trump administration would not object to a transit this year through U.S. territory by Lai, whom Beijing labels a "separatist." Past visits to the United States by Taiwanese officials have triggered angry objections by China, which sees such trips as inappropriate given that the United States has diplomatic relations with Beijing, not Taipei. Taiwan's presidential office spokesperson Lii said there are currently "no plans for a presidential transit through the United States at the moment." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Barnama
5 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
Nvidia Posts Strong Growth Despite Ongoing Tariff Challenges
The Nvidia logo is displayed on a building in Taipei, Taiwan. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo LONDON, May 29 (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) -- AI chipmaker Nvidia has posted strong growth despite being caught in the fallout of Donald Trump's tariff war with China, German Press Agency (dpa) reported. The company reported sales of US$44.1 billion for the first quarter, higher than the US$22.1 billion generated this time last year. The United States (US) technology giant unveiled its financial results for the first three months of 2025 on Wednesday. bootstrap slideshow Nvidia predicted its revenue for the May–July period would be about US$45 billion. The forecast includes an estimated US$8 billion loss in sales to China due to export controls during its fiscal second quarter, after the restrictions cost it about US$2.5 billion in revenue during the first quarter. As the second most valuable listed company in the world behind Microsoft, Nvidia is watched closely by global traders. It was among the global technology firms to suffer sharp drops in their share prices following the president's 'Liberation Day' tariff announcements last month. However, they have rallied since and most of the losses suffered on Wall Street in the wake of the announcements have been regained. Nvidia said it has been informed by the US government that it needs a licence to export its H20 AI chip to China, including Hong Kong, for the "indefinite future."
The Star
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Foxconn to soon announce second Japanese auto partner, chairman says
FILE PHOTO: Young Liu, Chairman of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), reacts as he delivers a keynote speech at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/ File Photo TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's Foxconn will soon announce a second Japanese auto partner, Chairman Young Liu said on Thursday, as the company best known as Apple's main iPhone maker continues its diversification push. "There are two Japanese automakers; one has already been announced, and the other is almost ready to be," Liu said at the company's annual shareholders meeting, without elaborating. Foxconn subsidiary Foxtron Vehicle Technologies and Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors this month signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of an electric vehicle model. Foxconn views partnerships in Japan as a major opportunity for growing its EV business, Jun Seki, the Taiwan contract manufacturer's chief strategy officer for EVs, said at a Tokyo seminar in April. The Apple supplier's interest in working with Japanese car makers comes as they face growing competition from Chinese brands that are aggressively making inroads in markets such as Europe, Brazil and Thailand. Mitsubishi Motors is a junior partner in the long-standing alliance of Nissan Motor and French automaker Renault. Foxconn has previously said it would consider taking a stake in Nissan for cooperation, as it has ambitions to diversify into EVs. Foxtron, the company's EV joint venture with Yulon, counts Yulon-owned Luxgen as its main client in Taiwan. (Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Saad Sayeed)
The Star
7 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
TSMC will open a European chip design centre in Munich, Germany
The TSMC logo is displayed on a building in Hsinchu, Taiwan April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world's largest contract chipmaker, will open a chip design centrein Munich, Germany, a company executive said on Tuesday. President of TSMC Europe, Paul de Bot, said at the company's 2025 Technology Symposium event that the Munich Design Centre would open duringthe third quarter of 2025. "It's intended to support European customers in designing high-density, high-performance, and energy-efficient chips with a focus on applications again in automotive, industrial, AI, and IoT," de Bot said. TSMC is building together with Infineon, NXP and Robert Bosch a new microchip manufacturing plant in Dresden, Germany, called European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC). (Reporting by Nathan Vifflin in Amsterdam, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
The Star
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Taiwan students heading to Harvard 'anxious' after US enrolment block
Yu-Hsuan Lin, 27, poses for a photo with a Harvard hat and hoodie in Taipei, Taiwan May 24, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang TAIPEI (Reuters) -With an admission letter in hand, Taiwanese student Yu-hsuan Lin was ready to attend her dream school, Harvard University, this September. But the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to revoke Harvard University's ability to enrol foreign students made her feel anxious and helpless, Lin told Reuters at her Taipei apartment. "The path towards my dream is actually harder and tougher than I expected. There are so many uncertainties," she said. "I thought that I could accept all the changes along the way as what we have gone through in the past half year. However, this one is specifically (targeted) at the international students. So I kind of feel like really hit by it. And that's why I feel kind of anxious." The decision marked a significant escalation of the Trump administration's campaign against the elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard called it a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws. A U.S. judge temporarily blocked the administration's order, but it did not provide comfort to Lin who has yet to receive her visa. "I think I would either defer my studies at Harvard, as they said that's one of the possibilities, or I would probably apply for master programmes in Europe or the UK." Taiwan's education ministry said it expects 52 Taiwanese students to be affected by the U.S. government's move, the island's official Central News Agency reported. Another Taiwanese student, who asked to be identified only by his first name Vince, planned to start his public health studies at Harvard this year. "We are certainly feeling pretty nervous, and it's been a dream for me to come from a small town in Taiwan all the way to Harvard," he said. "I think that this is the best that the United States can offer. So, I would like to plead to the president that, please, I hope that this continuous generosity can be continued." (Reporting by Katie Tam, Angie Teo and Ann Wang; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
