Politics

Aug 4, 2026 Todd G. Buchholz

Emboldened by US President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, Chinese leaders have ramped up their gray-zone coercion against Taiwan in recent months. To avert a Chinese invasion, Taiwan must ensure that other democracies cannot function without it by providing them with more than just semiconductors.

SAN DIEGO—As the US-Iran war threatens to ignite a worldwide energy crisis, another hotspot may come to a boil: Taiwan. During a recent visit to Taipei, I didn’t need to read Mandarin to spot the lead news story every day: another step in China’s campaign to intimidate the island.