President Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party want to ensure a permanent separation from mainland China. To accomplish that, Lai believes Taiwan needs to persuade the US to back the policy with both diplomatic and, especially, military help to deter a possible Chinese invasion.
Because current US President Donald Trump demands economic benefits for the US in return, along with signs that Taiwan wants to defend itself, Lai is offering the US trade and the largest-ever purchases of US weapons in Taiwan’s history.
