US President Donald Trump, after recently concluding a visit to China, again publicly accused Taiwan of having “stolen our chip industry.” This was not the first time he had made such a claim. From the 2024 campaign period to a Fox News interview in May 2026, before his departure after visiting China, Trump has repeatedly argued that the business originally belonged to Intel and that, had the US government understood how to impose tariffs for protection, Taiwan would never have had a role in the chip industry.

AMD said on May 21 that it plans to invest more than US$10 billion across Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem to deepen strategic partnerships and expand advanced packaging capacity for next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The initiative aims to strengthen manufacturing capabilities, accelerate the deployment of AI systems, and support the growing demand for high-performance computing hardware.

Taiwanese President Ching-te Lai warned that sweeping cuts to drone procurement funding by the Legislative Yuan could weaken the island’s defense readiness and undermine stability across the Taiwan Strait, as the government moves to restore funding through new budget proposals and supplemental allocations.