The growing distrust of the U.S. among Taiwan people reveals that the general public on the island are having clearer insights that what the U.S. has done only ends up hurting Taiwan, Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday.
A recent survey released by the Brookings Institution, a U.S. think tank, shows that the proportion of Taiwan people who view the United States as "untrustworthy" or "highly untrustworthy" has increased by 13.9 percentage points compared to the previous poll. In response to this, Zhu stated at a press conference in Beijing that Taiwan people are more aware that the U.S. and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have never been protecting Taiwan, but only hurting it.
"We need to consider one question: Why are more and more Taiwan people losing their trust in the U.S.? I believe that the main reason is that the Taiwan people have seen through the fact that the U.S. always follows the policy of 'America First,' caring only about 'American interests.' In the eyes of the U.S., Taiwan's true value is merely a piece of 'fat meat,' a 'cash cow,' and a tool to contain the Chinese mainland," Zhu said.
Further commenting on the U.S. Taiwan policy, Zhu pointed out its devastating impact.
"What has the U.S. done to Taiwan recently? They have been compelling Taiwan to do the four following things. First, the U.S. has been forcing Taiwan's core and competitive industries, represented by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), to relocate to the U.S. by investing or establishing joint ventures in the country. Second, the U.S. demands that the DPP authorities increase defense budgets, to grab more money from Taiwan people to purchase American weapons," she said.
"Third, the U.S. attempts to arm Taiwan, calling for the island to be turned into a 'porcupine for war,' encouraging 'everyone to be a soldier in urban warfare,' pushing youth in Taiwan onto the battlefield, while turning temples across the island into weapon stockpiles. And Fourth, it imposes high tariffs on Taiwan, severely impacting related industries," said the spokeswoman.
"So, is the U.S. protecting Taiwan, or is it harming Taiwan? Are the DPP authorities truly safeguarding Taiwan or destroying it? The facts are increasingly clear to the Taiwan people. If we allow the U.S. to dictate terms and drain Taiwan's value, the inevitable outcome will be that Taiwan will eventually be abandoned as a pawn," she said.
Taiwan people's loss of trust in U.S. reveals universal understanding that U.S. is hurting Taiwan: spokeswoman
