TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is ready to form a democratic supply chain with the US, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in a Nikkei Asia interview published on Tuesday.
Lin said Taiwan wants to play a key role in a democratic supply chain with partners to facilitate decoupling from China. Taiwan could work with the US, Japan, and European nations to build it, he said. “We need to have a non-Chinese supply chain option, and Taiwan can be a choice."
The supply chain would cover semiconductors, cybersecurity, and AI sovereignty.
In response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for Taiwan to increase its defense spending, Lin said the country would follow through. He pointed out that Taiwan's defense budget has already reached 2.5% of GDP.
“We are of course ready to increase our defense budget," Lin said. "As China's military power continues to grow, Taiwan already must correspondingly increase its defense spending.”
Lin underscored the need for closer integration between Taiwanese businesses and the US defense industry. He also hoped for speedier delivery of arms packages and more advanced weapons available for procurement.
Additionally, Taiwan's manufacturing capacity could be used for "friend-shoring" and ramping up military equipment production, he said.
Lin highlighted China’s hybrid warfare against Taiwan and called on the US and Japan to pay closer attention to Beijing’s “boiling frog” strategy.