Washington's volatility and Taipei's security: Taiwan's defence quandary creates openings for Europe

Natalia Corbo, Ke-Ching Lin and Angela Stanzel

No 25/2026, SWP Comments from Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), German Institute for International and Security Affairs

Abstract: The Trump-Xi summit in May 2026 highlighted a shift in Washington's posture that introduces deep uncertainty into US-Taiwan relations. While the meeting was no turning-point, it underlined Taipei's predicament: relying heavily on now questionable American promises. If Washington does reduce its security guarantees, Taiwan could strengthen its strategic alignment with Europe. That would present risks for Europe, but also opportunities.

Keywords: Taiwan Strait; transactionalism; strategic ambiguity; HIMARS; Hung Cao; Rupert Hammond-Chambers; empty bins; porcupine strategy; semiconductors; drones; de-risking; derisking; One China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:swpcom:342573

DOI: 10.18449/2026C25

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