With a Quiet Meeting in Alaska, Washington Tries to Reassure Taipei

Last week, defence officials from the U.S. and Taiwan reportedly held discreet talks in Alaska. It was the first high-level defence engagement between the two governments since the U.S. and China began  in May, when Washington appeared to move Taiwan relations to the back burner to avoid complicating its discussions with Beijing. According to reports, Jed Royal, a top Pentagon official focusing on Indo-Pacific affairs, met with Hsu Szu-chien, who is both Taiwan’s former deputy national security advisor and rumoured to be the next pick for Taipei’s representative in Washington.

While the specifics remain undisclosed, the timing and details of the Alaska discussions suggest that U.S. President Donald Trump may be sending messages to both Taiwan and China. For one thing, the talks happened just a few days before China held a huge military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on 3 September. Beijing used the event to showcase nuclear-capable long-range missiles and new underwater drones, while Chinese President Xi Jinping projected an image of “unity” alongside autocratic leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The Alaska meeting also came amid rising skepticism about Washington’s support for Taiwan, which the Trump administration has arguably stoked. In June, the U.S. cancelled a planned Washington, D.C. meeting between Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo and senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, citing the crisis with Iran, although many suspected the real reason had more to do with China trade talks. Then, in July, the administration reportedly denied permission for Taiwan President Lai Ching-te to transit through New York during a planned diplomatic tour to Central America. An opinion poll released by prominent pollster, My Formosa, on 28 August showed that 78.5 per cent of Taiwanese respondents said they didn’t trust Trump.  

Taipei’s supporters in the U.S. hope that the Royal-Hsu talks may emerge as part of a series of calibrated engagements with Taiwan aimed at reassuring the island of the Trump administration’s support and commitment. U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made a two-day visit to Taiwan on 29 August. He floated the idea of a potential joint U.S.-Taiwan weapons production arrangement and reassured Taiwanese officials that ongoing trade talks with other countries would not affect Washington’s relations with Taiwan.

While the Royal-Hsu talks may provide some comfort to Taiwan, just how much is another question. That they took place quietly in Alaska (far from the U.S. capital) and at a level below the Colby-Koo channel could feed the impression that the U.S. continues to prioritise trade negotiations with China and a hoped-for summit between Trump and Xi. Moreover, as the U.S. and China prepare for the next round of trade talks, the Trump administration will likely continue this approach. Whether it becomes a pattern, or a temporary diplomatic adjustment, the consolation prize for Taipei could be the maintenance of a direct senior-level channel between U.S. and Taiwanese officials on defence issues.