TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) reaffirmed on Sunday that a second Donald Trump term presents more opportunities than risks for Taiwan, suggesting Trump’s policies will largely continue from his first term.

In a Pop Radio interview with host Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚), Lin discussed the Taiwan-US relationship under Trump 2.0 and Taiwan's broader foreign policy, per CNA. Lin highlighted Trump’s first-term initiatives, including the Indo-Pacific strategy and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, provided Taiwan with solid security assurances and should continue under Trump’s second term.

When asked about Trump’s call for Taiwan to increase its defense spending, Lin said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had already committed to raising the defense budget to 3% of GDP. Lin noted that this increase is nearly double the defense budget under former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), adding that Taiwan had also reinstated a one-year compulsory military service and bolstered societal resilience against potential threats.

In response to concerns about Trump’s claims that Taiwan "stole" the US chip industry, Lin suggested that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company investing in its US fabs could help develop the American semiconductor industry. He emphasized that TSMC’s status as a global firm should inspire trust and that the US and Taiwan should work together as partners, not competitors.

Lin explained that the US chip strategy centers on national security and artificial intelligence, while Taiwan’s role in the sector can help the US form a China-free supply chain and advance its AI industry. He stressed that Taiwan should focus on finding common ground with the US while addressing areas where American interests may conflict with Taiwan’s.

Regarding foreign policy, Lin said Taiwan’s diplomatic situation is stable but warned that Taiwan must counter China’s legal offensive through UN Resolution 2758. He emphasized the need for Taiwan to craft the “correct” narrative around the resolution to prevent China from shifting its Taiwan policy from the diplomatic to the domestic sphere.

Lin also suggested that US-Taiwan relations should be decoupled from the broader US-China relationship, ensuring China does not influence US-Taiwan dynamics.

In light of a recent meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, some have questioned Taiwan’s diplomatic outlook. KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) expressed concerns Sunday about Taiwan’s ability to reject Trump’s proposals, such as giving up TSMC trade secrets, moving semiconductor plants to the US, or raising Taiwan’s defense budget to 10% of GDP, per UDN.

KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) on Friday said Taiwan may have little leverage to reject US demands, whether related to military spending or trade policies, per UDN.