David Sacks

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David Sacks

David Sacks

@DavidMSacks1

Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations. Taiwan, cross-Strait relations, U.S.-China, Chinese FP. Opinions my own; RTs/follows not endorsements.

Katılım Ocak 2021
385 Takip Edilen2.6K Takipçiler
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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
Coming in November: THE REALIST, the first book to tell the full story of Hans Morgenthau, the man who escaped Nazi Germany and pioneered realism—the approach to foreign policy that guided the United States through the Cold War and explains today’s world. amazon.com/dp/1250385318?…
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Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs@ForeignAffairs·
Taiwan does not have the capacity to defend itself from China, argue Marvin Park and @DavidMSacks1. The United States—the only country able to protect the island from Beijing’s increasing aggression—must continue to cooperate with Taiwan. foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/taiwan-…
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Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs@ForeignAffairs·
Washington’s neutrality toward Taiwan has helped maintain peace in the strait for decades, write Marvin Park and @DavidMSacks1. Today, any shift in that stance could embolden China and destabilize the region. foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/taiwan-…
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Lyle Morris
Lyle Morris@LyleJMorris·
Here is the video of @AsiaPolicy's webinar earlier this week on Taiwan after the Trump-Xi summit. Great discussion that covered a lot of ground. One of the reasons I'm proud to work at @AsiaSociety is its ability to bring voices together from China, Taiwan and the U.S. Even if we don't always agree, we can have civil discourse and debate in a cordial, frank manner. Thanks again to @DavidMSacks1, Shao Yuqun and Chung-min Tsai for an excellent discussion! asiasociety.org/video/taiwan-a…
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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
There’s a very low chance that President Trump actually speaks with President Lai. What is more relevant is Trump’s reference to the “Taiwan problem,” yet more evidence that Xi’s framing has taken root.
Rapid Response 47@RapidResponse47

"Do you have any plans to call President Lai of Taiwan before you make a decision on the weapons package?" @POTUS: "I'll speak to him. I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand. We had a great meeting with President Xi... we'll work on that, the Taiwan problem."

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TaiwanPlus News
TaiwanPlus News@taiwanplusnews·
“Trump said he would need to discuss it with President Lai, which would be precedent-breaking." After the Trump-Xi summit, David Sacks of the Council on Foreign Relations weighs in on what it means for Taiwan.
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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
@bernard_gress No, Taiwan fully funded all FMS from the United States. Domestic production was cut from the budget.
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Bernard Gress
Bernard Gress@bernard_gress·
@DavidMSacks1 Didn't Taiwan just decline to purchase as much as we'd originally wanted? Why are we not allowed to haggle, when Taiwan does it all the time? #AmericanSuckers. "NT$480 billion was cut from it, said the official who declined to be named."
Bernard Gress tweet media
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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
Good to see pushback from Congress. One minor but important point. This is not “aid.” Taiwan pays in full for these weapons and is one of the largest purchasers of American defense hardware in the world.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee@SFRCdems

“The U.S. has provided defensive arms to Taiwan on a bipartisan basis for over forty years. That aid is not a bargaining chip — it is required by law and essential to preserving peace and deterring China.” -@SenatorShaheen nytimes.com/2026/05/16/wor…

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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
This part of the interview clearly shows Trump bought Xi’s framing on Taiwan: “But they have somebody there now that wants to go independent…they're going independent because they want to get into a war and they want to, they figure they have the United States behind them.”
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1

Trump seems to have bought Xi’s framing that Taiwan is to blame for cross-Strait tensions and that US arms sales are destabilizing and embolden Taiwan. But there is no risk of Taiwan pursuing independence and China’s coercion of Taiwan is the root issue. Deeply problematic.

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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
Trump seems to have bought Xi’s framing that Taiwan is to blame for cross-Strait tensions and that US arms sales are destabilizing and embolden Taiwan. But there is no risk of Taiwan pursuing independence and China’s coercion of Taiwan is the root issue. Deeply problematic.
Fox News@FoxNews

WATCH: President Trump tells @BretBaier that he is signaling a “neutral” stance on Taiwan security following high-stakes meetings with President Xi, emphasizing his desire to avoid military conflict. The President confirmed that U.S. policy remains unchanged but expressed hesitation regarding billions of dollars in pending weapons approvals for the island. "I haven't approved it yet. We're going to see what happens. I may do it. I may not do it... We're not looking to have wars." Watch the full interview at 6 p.m. ET on @SpecialReport

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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
Trump saying “I want them [Taiwan] to cool down” would indicate that Xi’s appeal on Taiwan had some effect on him.
Annmarie Hordern@annmarie

Regarding US policy on Taiwan, Trump tells @BretBaier: “Nothing's changed. I will say this. I'm not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we're supposed to travel 9500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down.”

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Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations@CFR_org·
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are slated to meet in Beijing on May 14–15, marking the first state visit to China from a U.S. president since 2017, when Trump was first in office. Looming over the upcoming summit are geopolitical tensions—particularly trade—Taiwan, the Iran war, and artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the global economy continues to feel the effects of soaring oil and gas prices from the Strait of Hormuz blockade and the simmering trade war between the United States and China. @rushdoshi, @ProfDavidHart, @DavidMSacks1, @ChrisRMcGuire, and @heidirediker analyze what to expect: cfr.org/articles/at-th…
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Lyle Morris
Lyle Morris@LyleJMorris·
Almost one week away from @AsiaPolicy's live webinar, "Taiwan Affairs After the Summit: Where Do Cross-Strait Relations Go From Here," featuring @DavidMSacks1 Chung-min Tsai, and Yuqun Shao. Tuesday, May 19 from 9-10am US EST. Sign up below!
Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI)@AsiaPolicy

The long-awaited Trump-Xi Summit is rapidly approaching—and with it, growing anticipation about what’s next for Taiwan. Join us on May 19 for a discussion on the future of cross-Strait relations, featuring top voices from Washington, Taipei, and Beijing. 🔗Register today: asiasociety.org/policy-institu…

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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
@EvanFeigenbaum I think those are two distinct things. Are we dealing with an “altered reality” - yes. But that doesn’t mean we should stop articulating US interests as we see them and pointing out why certain paths are unwise.
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Evan A. Feigenbaum
Evan A. Feigenbaum@EvanFeigenbaum·
I think there is heightened skepticism of him in Taiwan (and many other places in Asia too), with or without change in declaratory policy. We are not dealing with someone here who goes for predictable and stable policies — he believes (as do many others) that this very instability and unpredictability are, in fact, his secret sauce. But that’s entirely the anthesis of what can and should make policy toward Taiwan work. So we are dealing with an altered reality here and conventional policy arguments about what is and isn’t in the U.S. interest don’t seem very salient to me, given who we are dealing with.
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Evan A. Feigenbaum
Evan A. Feigenbaum@EvanFeigenbaum·
Why would anything Trump says bind a future president, or even bind himself? He turns on a dime and could reverse his words next Thursday. American policy toward Taiwan used to put a premium on consistency and predictability. Neither of those two words fits Trump in ANY area of policy-making and neither really fits the American body politic these days either.
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1

Xi Jinping likely sees a window of opportunity to secure changes to U.S. policy toward Taiwan during Trump’s visit to Beijing. Trump should stand firm, closing this perceived window: cfr.org/articles/at-th…

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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
@PaulJHeer @EvanFeigenbaum I agree that a change in the direction of clarity is a good thing. But I think we want different clarity! 😉
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Paul Heer
Paul Heer@PaulJHeer·
@DavidMSacks1 @EvanFeigenbaum Whether it would be bad to make a change to US declaratory policy on Taiwan depends on the nature and content of any such change. A change in the direction of clarity is probably a good idea. As of now, US declaratory policy is an increasingly non-credible jumble of words.
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Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI)
Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI)@AsiaPolicy·
The long-awaited Trump-Xi Summit is rapidly approaching—and with it, growing anticipation about what’s next for Taiwan. Join us on May 19 for a discussion on the future of cross-Strait relations, featuring top voices from Washington, Taipei, and Beijing. 🔗Register today: asiasociety.org/policy-institu…
Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) tweet media
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David Sacks
David Sacks@DavidMSacks1·
Xi Jinping likely sees a window of opportunity to secure changes to U.S. policy toward Taiwan during Trump’s visit to Beijing. Trump should stand firm, closing this perceived window: cfr.org/articles/at-th…
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Keşfet

@AsiaPolicy @AsiaSociety @bernard_gress @derspiegel @chiehtingyeh @kuantingvision @rushdoshi @ProfDavidHart