Taiwan under pressure to bolster its defense as Trump-Harris presidential race stokes policy concerns

Taiwan is under growing pressure to build up its defense capabilities and deterrence against China in the face of uncertainty surrounding the U.S. elections slated for November, according to security and policy analysts. 

Taiwan's foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, last month told reporters that the self-governed island must rely on itself for defense and will likely keep spending and modernizing its military in the face of threats from China, which sees the island as its own.

The minister's comments came in response to presidential candidate Donald Trump suggesting that Taipei should pay Washington for military protection. Trump said that the country "doesn't give us anything" and has taken "100% of our chip business." 

Experts said Trump's remarks highlighted the unpredictability that faces Taiwan, especially after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who has relatively less foreign policy experience.

While Biden has been "more consistent in his policy toward Taiwan," Trump, since the start of his first term, has proven to be "erratic and unpredictable," said Stephen Nagy, professor of politics and international studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.

This is largely due to a difference in strategy between the two leaders. While Biden has, on several occasions, stated the U.S. would come to Taiwan's defense, Trump has opted for "strategic ambiguity," Nagy added. 

Just days after his inauguration, Trump had become the first U.S. president in decades to communicate directly with Taiwan's president. 

Soon after, he suggested that the U.S. may change its long-held position that Taiwan was part of "one China." However, he reportedly walked back on that