US President Trump leaves it open whether Washington would defend the island of Taiwan in the event of war. But at the same time, cooperation on drones, fighter jets and defense supply chains is becoming ever closer.
Taiwan is deepening its cooperation with the USA in military technology and is hoping to become more important as an arms partner.
The first two of 66 F-16 fighter jets ordered have arrived in Taiwan - the Pentagon plans to send military personnel directly to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense.
Taiwan's drone industry is growing rapidly; In the first half of 2026 alone, the island exported more than 200,000 drones, while start-ups like Str8 Industries develop and produce new technologies.
Phil Ho, co-founder of Str8 Industries, emphasizes that Taiwan has the necessary infrastructure to develop and produce drones faster and more efficiently compared to other regions.
Tokyo, Taipei, Washington. Concern has been growing in Taiwan for months that US President Donald Trump could withdraw the island's support in negotiations with China. At the summit in Washington at the end of September, his guest, China's state and party leader Xi Jinping, pushed for exactly this.
So while Washington's political support for Taiwan appears uncertain, practical cooperation between the two sides in the economy, technology and military is becoming closer. The island is becoming increasingly important for the USA not only as a producer of semiconductors, but also as a defense and technology partner.
Elizabeth Economy, a former US government adviser, observes that US trade with Taiwan is increasing “rapidly”. She confirmed this in an interview with Handelsblatt. The political expert researches the relationship between China and the USA at Stanford University. “It is possible that Taiwan will overtake China in trade volume with the United States,” she predicts.
The USA and Taiwan are no longer just about advanced semiconductors, for which Taiwanese companies are world leaders in contract manufacturing. The defense companies of both countries are also cooperating more closely with each other.
Stephan Ebner, a lawyer who represents German defense companies' foreign business, says: "I have the impression that the USA treats Taiwan almost like a 51st federal state, despite its proximity to China." The expert is a consultant at the Brain Trust International law firm in Taiwan.
This is exactly what Taiwan's strategy in the geopolitical struggle is aimed at. The government in Taipei is striving to make the island so valuable to Trump that he will classify Taiwan as vital to US interests and defend the country if the worst comes to the worst. China has long asserted territorial claims on the democratically governed island and has even threatened to conquer the island by force.
The problem: The USA has promised Taiwan help against China, but left it open whether it would support the island with its own troops in the event of a Chinese attack. Trump expressed himself even more ambivalently about this than many of his predecessors.
Beijing is therefore trying harder than ever to weaken US support for Taiwan and thus increase the pressure on Taipei to give up. During his state visit at the end of September, China's head of state and party leader Xi urged his host to speak out openly against Taiwan independence and to treat the Taiwan issue with caution.
This demand is primarily symbolic, but would have significant political consequences. Washington refuses to support an official declaration of independence, but has so far avoided committing to the island's final status. A change in the language regulation would therefore increase Beijing's pressure on Taiwan.
A second demand, on the other hand, would be immediately practical: Beijing could aim for Washington to delay the pending arms deal with Taiwan or abandon it entirely as part of an agreement with China.
Both would be enormous concessions to China. They could undermine the Taiwanese people's trust in the US as an unofficial protecting power even more than Trump has already done.
But after the summit, Mike Johnson clearly supported Taiwan in an interview with Fox Business. As Speaker of the House of Representatives, he succeeds Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance is number three in the US power hierarchy.
“China has the upper hand in more products on which the US is almost completely dependent.”
When asked whether Trump was using the arms deal, which had been delayed for months, as a bargaining chip, Johnson replied that he would not read too much into it. He sees more of a connection with the lack of weapons as a result of the Iran war.
“We are aware that Taiwan is a very important partner, friend and ally of ours, and we need Taiwan to be a stable and independent partner,” he said – with a view to the economy and especially the military.
At the beginning of October, the first two of 66 F-16 fighter jets on order arrived in Taiwan. At the same time, the Pentagon is reportedly considering deploying personnel directly to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense to deepen cooperation. At the same time, agreements officially pave the way for Taiwan to enter American supply chains.
The focus is on unmanned ships, vehicles and aircraft. The January 2026 US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue specifically included supply chains for unmanned aerial vehicles. The US defense bill NDAA for fiscal year 2026 contains a provision directing the Pentagon to include Taiwan in drone programs.
In addition, more and more Taiwanese companies are qualifying for supplier lists that meet high requirements for military and commercial drones and are therefore offering themselves as suppliers to US companies. Taiwan thus becomes part of the US defense industry ecosystem – and is no longer just a buyer of American weapons. The government even just opened another quasi-consulate in Arizona, where chip maker TSMC is building massive semiconductor plants.
Already established organizations have large projects such as the Mighty Hornet IV drone from Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and the US company Kratos Defense & Security Solutions.
Taiwan's drone industry is booming. In the first half of 2026 alone, more than 200,000 drones were exported, more than in the previous year. At the same time, more and more Taiwanese companies and start-ups are entering the market.
Phil Ho, co-founder of the start-up Str8 Industries, shows what this transpacific integration looks like. The son of French-Taiwanese parents, who grew up in Paris, has developed a high-tech sea drone in Taiwan. It's called Ghostwake, it's suitable for ocean use, carries a payload of 350 kilograms and can reportedly reach speeds of up to 55 knots (102 kilometers per hour).
The start-up is registered in the USA, co-founder Bilal Awad served as chief engineer on guided missile destroyers in the US Navy. But development and production take place on the distant island. Ho explains the reason in Taipei: “We don’t have the luxury of building a shipbuilding or manufacturing base from scratch over five or ten years elsewhere.” Taiwan, on the other hand, already has this basis.
A dense network of technology companies has emerged around the chip and computer industry, making it easier to build a China-free supply chain. There are also world-class contract manufacturers in the electronics industry, engineers for robotics, software and electrical engineering, as well as companies that can produce products quickly in large quantities - "everything is already there, you just have to go and build," says Ho.
It took his team less than 120 days from the first draft to testing in the water. “This is possible if you build here in Taiwan,” says Ho. “The Taiwan pace is remarkable.” Therefore, Taiwan's drone industry is already booming. He wants to make a double contribution to the defense of his adopted homeland: as a supplier for Taiwan's military - and by making the island indispensable for the USA.
