Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: Wang Yu Ching/Office of the President/Flickr/CC BY 4.0
IN RECENT COMMENTS, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te claimed that Israel is a model for Taiwan in terms of defending itself from Chinese threats.
Specifically, Lai’s comments drew an equivalence between Israel and the Jewish people as a whole, then went on to suggest that this had a parallel to Taiwan. Lai stated, “The Taiwanese people often look to the example of the Jewish people when facing challenges to our international standing and threats to our sovereignty from China. The people of Taiwan have never become discouraged.” Lai then went on to state that, “I believe that trilateral Taiwan-U.S.-Israel cooperation can help achieve regional peace, stability, and prosperity.”
Indeed, during his National Day speech earlier this month, Lai announced the “T-Dome”, a new air defense system for Taiwan. This appears to be modeled on Israel’s “Iron Dome,” although details are still scarce on what this exactly means. There had previously been little discussion in Taiwan of air defense against Chinese threats akin to the Iron Dome.
Subsequent to his comments, Lai hosted a visit by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC is a controversial pro-Israel, Zionist lobbying group. The optics of Lai hosting AIPAC have been criticized when there has been widespread international condemnation of Israel’s genocidal actions, as reflected in opinion polling worldwide, even if American political leaders act otherwise. AIPAC’s trip to Taiwan was the first delegation to visit Taiwan for the organization.
It is generally thought that Lai is hoping to court American conservatives over the issue of Israel. There has been much anxiety in Taiwan that Taiwan may have potentially lost the support of MAGA Republicans, especially in light of a piece on Substack by former Trump administration official Christian Whiton that alleged that Taiwan had lost the support of the Trump administration through the embrace of woke progressive politics. This claim is questionable, particularly in light of the fact that Whiton is a relatively obscure and uninfluential member of the Trump administration, and because it is to be questioned to what extent MAGA Republicans pay attention to Taiwan’s domestic politics. But the piece was interpreted as, in fact, representing the views of the Trump administration. As such, Taiwan has since launched a charm offensive targeting conservative media and MAGA influencers.
It appears that Lai is playing the Israel card, then, to try and appeal to MAGA Republicans. It is, of course, otherwise hard to know what Taiwan has to learn from Israel. It is not, after all, as though Taiwan should provoke fights with its neighbors under flimsy pretexts regarding security, or that Taiwan should look to a country actively engaged in the occupation of Palestinian land and genocide of Palestinians.
Palestine is not a major political issue in Taiwanese domestic politics. Many members of the public perceive Taiwan as in the US camp, which pushes them toward uncritically positive views of Israel, which they view as a fellow ally of the US. Israel is seen not as a military power constantly at war with its neighbors, which has engaged in acts of ethnic cleansing directed at Palestinians for decades, but as a plucky democracy that has achieved peace through strength amidst aggressive neighbors.
With the Tsai administration having built up progressive credentials for Taiwan, even as it navigated the rocky relationship between Taiwan and the first Trump administration, it is now to be seen if Lai takes a different turn. Conservatives in Taiwan have increasingly been emboldened in past months, seemingly drawing their momentum from the US, organizing around issues such as opposition to trans rights and holding memorial events for American right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. Though such events have been protested by progressive and leftist Taiwanese activist groups, mostly students, conservatives have tried to depict young peaceful counter-protestors as violent pro-Communist infiltrators.
It is to be seen if the Lai administration is conscious in any way of the potential optics of alignment with Israel. Taiwan made international headlines after supporting the construction of a hospital as part of settlement in the West Bank, making Taiwan the first country in the world to support settlement in the West Bank in this way. In the wake of the controversy, the Lai administration cautiously waffled on the issue, realizing that there could be fallout. But while the Lai administration may seek to frame its cooperation with Israel as solely confined to self-defense, in truth, the Lai administration is hoping to strengthen defense cooperation with Israel when it comes to anti-missile systems and drones–areas in which Israel excels, particularly with the heavy use of drones in targeting Palestinians.
It seems that Taiwan, already complicit in genocide through its existing ties to Israel, will seek to escalate its level of complicity under the Lai administration–perhaps to active participation in genocide, if it advances Taiwan’s national interest.