Trump's words cause of consternation for Lai: China Daily editorial

Given the direct bearing it will have on the United States' support for the "pro-independence" cause he espouses for the island, the leader of the secessionist-minded Taiwan authorities Lai Ching-te must be one of the keenest followers of the US presidential election situation.

Lai's hard-line "pro-independence" speech at a meeting of the Democratic Progressive Party on Sunday, shortly after US President Joe Biden announced he was ending his reelection bid, must be taken with a pinch of salt.

Lai's true motive was to take advantage of the DPP gathering to raise the morale of his crestfallen colleagues amid the pessimism gripping the party at the prospect of Republican candidate Donald Trump occupying the White House for a second time.

Unlike Biden's stress on a "united front" against Beijing, based on the US' global alliance network, Trump has held to his hallmark "America first" principle during his ongoing election campaign as well. Which means, if Trump wins the election in November, the Lai authorities will face a big change in US policy.

In an interview with the media published five days before Lai's we-are-not-alone bravura on the weekend, Trump said that on taking office again, he would demand Taiwan pay for US protection, and accused the island of taking the chip industry and jobs away from the US. He also dodged the question of whether he would defend the island should Beijing have to resort to national reunification by force.

After the Biden administration's frequent playing of the "supporting Taiwan independence card", Trump's words have taken the wind out of the DPP's sails.

Biden had said he would send troops to defend the island. The "pro-independence" forces in Taiwan have always taken the US' protection for granted, bragging the "rock-solid" and "iron-clad" ties with the US as their largest strategic and political assets.

However, Trump has made his point crystal-clear by saying "Taiwan should pay us for defense ... You know, we're no different than an insurance company." That Cho Jung-tai, head of the island's "executive yuan", responded by saying that Taiwan is "willing to take on more responsibility" and would defend itself only serves to expose the Lai authorities' anxiety at the prospect of more conditional US support.

By continuing to stress "values" in his speech, a catchword of the Biden administration in its clique building, Lai showed the DPP is caught in a dilemma, trying to butter its US bread on both sides.

Yet the studied silence his authorities have maintained over Trump's remark in the same interview that "I mean, how stupid are we? They took all of our chip business. They're immensely wealthy", clearly indicates the Taiwan leader's concern that only paying for US protection may not be enough to satisfy its backer.