February 14, 2025
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute Delegation Concludes Strategic Visit to Taiwan
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute Delegation Concludes Strategic Visit to Taiwan
At the invitation of the Taiwanese government, a delegation of eight distinguished American business and national security leaders visited Taiwan to promote shared values and deepen ties amid tensions with the People’s Republic of China.
SIMI VALLEY, CA — An eight-member delegation of U.S. national security and business leaders completed a successful visit to Taiwan, where they engaged on key policy issues, worked to strengthen the enduring friendship between Taiwan and the United States, and promoted shared values of freedom, democracy, and economic opportunity. Led by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI), the visit came at the invitation of the Taiwanese government and was facilitated by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).
“The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute appreciates the opportunity to return to Taiwan, especially at this consequential time marked by a presidential transition in Washington, a new administration in Taipei, and ongoing Chinese coercion and aggression,” said David Trulio, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. “The Taiwanese people value the principles Ronald Reagan held dear – economic liberty, freedom, and democracy – and we are grateful to have engaged with Taiwan’s top leaders on shared opportunities and challenges.”
Roger Zakheim, Director of the Ronald Reagan Institute, noted, “The Reagan Institute promotes President Reagan’s values, especially peace through strength, and we are especially pleased to do so on a sustained basis with Taiwan, a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific.”
The delegation, composed of esteemed leaders with extensive experience in government, national security, and business, visited Taiwan from January 6-10. Delegation participants included:
David Trulio, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
Roger Zakheim, Director of the Ronald Reagan Institute
Catherine Bellah, CEO, Plumaven; former Deputy White House Staff Secretary; and former Principal Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce
Alexander Benard, Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute
Jamie Fly, Senior Counselor to the CEO, Palantir Technologies; and former Counselor for Foreign and National Security Affairs, Senator Marco Rubio
Rachel Hoff, Policy Director, Ronald Reagan Institute
William Inboden, Professor and Director, Hamilton Center, University of Florida; and former Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security Council
Dustin Walker, Senior Director for Policy, Anduril Industries; and Nonresident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Delegation members participated in a series of meetings designed to strengthen ties between the United States and Taiwan, including the following engagements with the Taiwanese government, multiple political parties, non-governmental organizations, and business leaders:
President Ching-Te Lai
Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao
Wellington Li-Hsiung Koo, Minister of National Defense
Chia-Lung Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Jyh-Huei Kuo, Minister of Economic Affairs
Jaushieh Joseph Wu, National Security Council Secretary-General
Members of the Legislative Yuan Foreign and National Defense Committee
Leadership from the following political parties:
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
Kuomintang (KMT)
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP)
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)
MediaTek, a leading Taiwanese semiconductor company
President Lai's office posted his remarks from his meeting with the Reagan Foundation, with related video, here.
As a result of the delegation visit, RRPFI identified several takeaways, however the delegation’s participants represented diverse views and backgrounds, and the points below do not necessarily represent the views of individual delegation members:
All-domain threats and pressure: Serious, grinding aggression from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues across domains – military, gray zone, economic, cyber, and online – and imposes significant burdens on Taiwan. Social media (e.g., TikTok and YouTube) in particular is a key battleground where the PRC seeks to influence the Taiwanese people and undermine their resolve – this has implications for U.S. public diplomacy. The people of Taiwan, including their leaders, will closely watch how the United States addresses TikTok’s future in America.
Uncertainty about U.S. policy direction: While a number of President Trump's selections for top roles in his Administration have previously expressed views about policy involving Taiwan, there is a mix of optimism and uncertainty over the direction the Trump Administration will take on security and economic matters relating to Taiwan. Taiwanese officials are mindful of the first Trump Administration’s policies concerning robust arms sales and expanded opportunities for travel and engagement. New U.S. trade policies, including tariffs, could have a significant effect on Taiwan’s export-driven economy and on U.S. purchasers of Taiwanese inputs. In this context, articulations of U.S. policy toward Taiwan early in 2025 would provide valuable clarity on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. More broadly, there is an appetite and need for U.S. leadership.
Defense and security spending: It is critical that Taiwan, including elected officials from all parties, live up to the intent to increase defense spending further. Even amid divided government and lively partisan debate, national unity on defense is essential, and it is important to display a sense of urgency to do more. Delegation members emphasized to Taiwanese partners that the American public expects that U.S. allies and partners shoulder the primary burden of their own defense. Of note, Taiwan currently spends 2.45% of its GDP on defense, and leaders expressed an intention to grow that appreciably. Moreover, the trend is positive – according to Taiwan’s government, it increased defense spending by 80% since 2016, and in 2024, Taiwan’s defense budget accounted for 15% of its total budget (roughly comparable to defense’s share of the U.S. total budget). Relevant but not included in these calculations are special budgets for defense procurements and spending on Taiwan’s Coast Guard, important for addressing grey zone threats and for cooperation with friendly neighbors. In addition, support for societal resilience measures fall outside of defense spending but contributes to Taiwan’s ability to handle man-made crises.
Weapons deliveries: Taiwan has consistently been one of the largest purchasers of U.S. weapons systems through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. That said, needed capabilities remain undelivered. Regardless of whether lengthy delivery delays stem from U.S. Government processes or limitations of the U.S. defense industrial base, not receiving weapons diminishes Taiwan’s security, enables the PRC to claim that the United States is an unreliable partner, and strengthens those voices in Taiwan who are skeptical of continuing with defense investments – after all, if what has been purchased has not arrived, why buy more? Given concerns about deliveries through FMS and overall Taiwanese ability to defeat a PRC attack, Presidential Drawdown Authority and Foreign Military Financing are valuable tools for enhancing Taiwan’s capabilities and ensuring peace and stability in the region.
Traditional vs. asymmetric capability mix: While there can be some discussion of the assortment of traditional and asymmetric military capabilities Taiwan possesses and should procure to respond to gray zone and conventional threats, several delegation members believe Taiwan should look past these superficial labels applied to individual or groups of systems. Instead, the focus should be on how the multitude of threats Taiwan faces can be addressed by a mix of the best available hardware and software systems that can be delivered quickly and at scale. This is of paramount importance given the weapons delivery delays described above and the risk that capabilities, once delivered years later, will be outdated.
Lessons from Ukraine: As the 3rd anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine approaches, the war is a source of learning, and its implications – and the West’s handling of it – are on Taiwan’s leaders’ minds.
Noteworthy investment in the United States: Taiwanese investment in the United States, and scaled back investment in the PRC, is another positive reality worthy of attention. According to Taiwan’s government, over 40 percent of Taiwan’s outbound investments now are in the United States. (This contrasts with the PRC, which now constitutes 11 percent of Taiwan’s outbound investments, a far cry from the approximately 80 percent of outbound Taiwanese investments roughly a decade ago.) Notably, TSMC, Taiwan’s leading semiconductor manufacturing company, continues to move forward with a planned $65 billion investment in Arizona through the construction of three greenfield fabrication plants that will onshore the manufacture of highly advanced semiconductors. According to TSMC, this investment is the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in Arizona history, and the largest FDI in a greenfield project in U.S. history.
Incentivizing additional investment in the United States: Whether through legislation (e.g., the proposed United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act or the United States-Taiwan Tax Agreement Authorization Act), or through a negotiated comprehensive tax agreement, successfully addressing double taxation issues will foster additional Taiwanese investment in America. Resolving this should be an easy, near-term bipartisan win. In the case of semiconductors in particular, fixing this issue will generate American jobs and strengthen the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain. Separately, to continue to draw high-tech investments, America needs to ensure its workforce has the requisite skills and/or the ability to ramp up training-wise, and that the overall cost of doing business in the United States is competitive.
Study and exchange opportunities: As the United States and other countries reduce their ties to the PRC, Taiwan is well-positioned to provide an alternative for strengthening research collaborations between U.S. and Taiwanese universities, as well as for cultural exchange and language immersion. In particular, Taiwan’s universities could become a destination of choice for American students to study abroad.
The American people support Taiwan: Leaders in Taiwan and the United States should be mindful of the strong support for Taiwan among the American people, as evidenced by the latest Reagan National Defense Survey. Two thirds of Americans view Taiwan as an ally, including 66% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans. Most Americans, also a bipartisan basis, support boosting U.S. arms sales to Taiwan (55%), increasing the U.S. military presence in the region (61%), and imposing economic sanctions on China (65%) to deter aggression across the Taiwan Strait.
This delegation marks a return to Taiwan by RRPFI, which previously visited President Tsai Ing-wen and other top leaders in October 2023. Earlier, in April 2023, the Reagan Foundation hosted President Tsai and then-U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and accompanying government officials and bipartisan legislators at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. President Tsai previously visited the Reagan Library in 2018.
Long before he became President, then-Governor Reagan visited Taiwan in 1971 as a special representative for President Nixon, and again as a private citizen in 1978. Following his latter visit he said, “Everywhere we went in Taiwan we saw the evidence of a vigorous and successful society.”
In 1982, the Reagan Administration established what became known as the “Six Assurances,” key foreign policy principles that to this day guide relations between the United States and Taiwan.
To learn more about the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, please visit: www.reaganfoundation.org.
About the Reagan Foundation and Institute
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI) is the sole nonprofit organization created by President Reagan charged with advancing his legacy and principles – individual liberty, economic opportunity, freedom and democracy, peace through strength, and national pride.
A globally recognized nonpartisan organization based in Simi Valley, CA, with a leading policy institute in Washington, DC, RRPFI delivers impactful public affairs programming, policy convenings and projects of national and international significance, and distinctive educational initiatives. In addition, RRPFI sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the largest and most visited presidential library, which routinely hosts major special exhibitions.
An hour from Los Angeles International Airport, RRPFI’s Simi Valley campus sits on 400 acres, serves as the final resting place of America’s 40th President and former First Lady Nancy Reagan, displays a chunk of the Berlin Wall, and houses the plane President Reagan flew as Air Force One to 26 countries. Onsite are the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, Presidential Learning Center, Air Force One Pavilion, and the Reagan Leadership Academy. More information is available at www.reaganfoundation.org.
Media Contact
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