South China Morning Post
Date: 9 Sep, 2020
By: Lawrence Chung
- Trump administration’s close links with Taipei have encouraged anti-mainland sentiment and thoughts of independence
- A Biden presidency is likely to bring a cautious approach from Washington towards the self-ruled island
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.eyeontaiwan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/79692d38-f1a7-11ea-8f3b-07283e3f3bd8_image_hires_012241.jpg?resize=860%2C573&ssl=1)
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
A consequence of the Trump administration’s China policy has been a rising confidence in Taiwan that its American allies will shield it from any attack from the mainland, which regards the self-ruled island as a renegade province, to be recovered by force if necessary.Decades of a carefully cultivated strategic ambiguity by the US over its stance on Taiwan appeared to be in doubt when newly-minted President Donald Trump broke with protocol to take an early congratulatory call from the island’s independence-leaning leader Tsai Ing-wen four years ago.'One China’ explained
Since then, a raft of pro-Taiwan legislation and billions of dollars in arms sales have bolstered the view on the island that the US will come to its defence in any military action, along with a surge in anti-mainland sentiment. [FULL STORY]