Ketty W. Chen

Not to be overlooked: a senior US official took a minute at the end of the briefing to call out Taiwan for failing to pass @ChingteLai's entire special defense budget: "It was disappointing in that there was some stuff left on the cutting room floor that we believe still needs to be funded, and we would like to see the rest of the original proposed package funded."

Senior US officials preview topics to be covered during @POTUS' China trip and meeting with Xi Jinping: - Iran: “I would expect the President to apply pressure." Official cites new sanctions on Chinese intelligence firm and satellite companies. - Taiwan: "There's been no change of US policy coming out of those [previous @POTUS-Xi discussions on Taiwan]. We don't expect to see any changes in US policy going forward." - Artificial Intelligence/cyber: "There are some concerns now with the capabilities [of] the latest models of AI... We are willing, certainly, to explore a channel--to have some channels of deconfliction, if nothing else, and we'll see where that goes." - Nuclear arms control: "If I had to guess, it is something that the President will raise. So far in this administration, there has been no progress… they have no interest in sitting down and talking about some kind of nuclear arms control." - Chinese investments: "We haven't had conversations about a major Chinese investment program." @AnnaKelly47 announced the trip would include agreements on aerospace, agriculture, and energy, as well as "continued work" on the Board of Trade and Board of Investments. "The American people can expect the president to deliver more good deals on behalf of our country. These agreements will further rebalance trade with China while putting American workers, farmers, and families first, and safeguarding U.S. economic strengths in national security." "@POTUS will continue doing what he has done over the past year, rebalancing the relationship with China and prioritizing reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence."

China reportedly pressured Mauritius, Seychelles, and Madagascar to deny airspace access to Taiwan’s President Lai, escalating Beijing’s campaign to isolate Taiwan. That is not just coercion; it is a disturbing breach of civil aviation norms. The U.S. should not let China normalize this—and should be clear-eyed about our relations with countries that so quickly bend to its pressure. reuters.com/world/china/us…

So honored to welcome astronaut Dr. Kjiell Lindgren. Born in Taiwan and raised in UK, he has conducted a number of missions to space, totalling 311 days. The photo he took of Taiwan from ISS is most unique and beautiful, to be cherished. 1/2

It’s only been three decades since Taiwanese could vote for their leader. This March marked the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s transition to #Democracy #PresidentialElection

Exactly 30 years ago Taiwan held our first presidential elections. Since then & although imperfect, our young democracy has thrived and matured, but we are constantly reminded that freedom cannot be taken for granted, it has to be cherished and protected.

Check this out! @MoNDefense DM Dr. Hsu & @TECRO_USA Amb Yui attended the rollouts of unmanned #MQ9B #SeaGuardian. They’ll soon be delivered to #Taiwan to shore up our ISR capability especially in the maritime domain. What an exciting news for our national security.

About time.

Our National Security Bureau has just declassified 50K+ political documents from the martial law era & transferred them to the National Archives for public access. A major step for #Taiwan’s democracy & transitional justice. The beacon now shines brighter than ever.

If Taiwan falls, the CCP gains control of the first island chain, giving Beijing leverage over global supply chains, maritime commerce, and U.S. economic power. Chairman @RepMoolenaar has been clear that deterring aggression in the Taiwan Strait is a core U.S. national security interest. Peace through strength is essential.

Our Thinking Taiwan Foundation published the 2025 China Monitoring Report.

#Taiwan has just reached a significant economic deal with the #Trump Admin. We’ll invest US$250B in #America led by #TSMC, & the reciprocal tariff is brought down to 15%. Business reaction is great as #TW-#US economic ties strengthened.

China specifically warned of "external forces" as "frictions around Taiwan have also been heightened in recent weeks...after Japan PM Takaichi suggested her country could respond militarily if China were to move to take control of Taiwan by force". edition.cnn.com/2025/12/28/chi…

China’s PLA just launched another round of major military drills around Taiwan — releasing an animated propaganda video of drone swarms, robot dogs, and droid soldiers. At least 5 live-fire zones are disrupting 1,000 flights just days after the $11.1B US/Taiwan arms deal.

In a world where everyone’s got an opinion on Taiwan, here's a review on J. Michael Cole’s @JMichaelCole1 “The Taiwan Tinderbox,” a must-read on the island’s precarious perch in the U.S.-China face-off. ✍️ @redharryng

China is throwing another temper tantrum. But, intimidation of Taiwan’s 23 million freedom and democracy loving people still can’t negate the fundamental fact that Taiwan is and has never been part of the PRC.

@CarnegieEndow @CameronWaltz_ @IBKardon The report identifies almost 900 trainings carried out by over 50 different PRC entities from 2000-2025. These are concentrated on China's regional periphery, but increasingly cover the globe:

In Dresden, I toured TSMC's joint venture with Bosch, Infineon, & NXP, which will produce chips to support European industries. This initiative further cements Taiwan's central role in technological development, especially in emerging areas like AI.

Thank you to @Till_Steffen & the members of the German @Bundestag for welcoming me & for your steadfast support for Taiwan. As democracies with unique strengths in industry, #Taiwan & #Germany are set to continue increasing cooperation in key areas.

An honour to speak at the inaugural Berlin Freedom Conference. At this time of global uncertainty, with rising authoritarian threats, it is crucial that democracies & their supporters come together to defend our hard-earned freedom. In this effort, #Taiwan has much to contribute.