Key voices in Taiwan are pleased with recent significant wins in US-Taiwan ties, but there is clear anxiety over the durability of Washington’s political support. Indeed, all eyes are focused on the outcomes of President Trump’s expected visit to Beijing this spring, anxiously watching whether a “grand bargain” might undermine Taiwan’s future.

At the same time, there is growing interest in Taipei in cultivating grassroots ties abroad, especially with the United States. Taiwan is increasingly realizing that political support is earned as much from the bottom up as it is from the top down. Strong support for the island’s future at the state and local levels can be a stabilizer during uncertain times in Washington. 

Taiwan’s task ahead seems to be drawn from the wisdom of Tip O’Neill: all geopolitics are local. 

Recent Wins Amid Questions at the Top

Last week, Taipei scored a major trade deal with Washington that promised lower tariffs and enhanced Taiwanese investments in the United States, further integrating the two economies and elevating Taiwan’s role in sharpening America’s economic security and competitiveness. 

Just a month before, the White House announced an $11 billion arms package – the largest ever – for Taiwan at a time when the island is under increased threats from China. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te bolstered the news with a Washington Post guest essay committing at least 5 percent of Taiwan’s GDP to defense by 2030. Observers in Taiwan are also pleased to see the pointed language in the White House’s National Security Strategy on deterring Chinese aggression against the island. 

Being pleased, however, is not necessarily the same as being reassured. 

The biggest source of anxiety remains President Trump’s expected visit to Beijing this spring. There is a focused debate over whether the administration will pursue a strategic realignment with China and how such a shift might impact long-standing security frameworks regarding Taiwan. While many US officials maintain a steadfast commitment to the relationship, the potential for a shift in high-level strategy remains a significant point of discussion in the region.

Still, here in Taipei, I am struck by the pragmatism of those who are focused on Taiwan’s long-term security and prosperity. They understand that the best way to thrive even in uncertain and politically challenging times is to stay on mission: make friends, deepen ties around the world, and sharpen Taiwan’s case in deliberate ways. 

Strengthening Resilience – One State at a Time

One of those ways is a renewed and intense focus on the grassroots around the world in the coming years, including across the United States.

This sounds deceptively simple, and perhaps even unglamorous. Subnational diplomacy means connecting and elevating the roles of mayors, governors, and other leaders below the national level and empowering them to address global problems that impact everyday, local lives – from creating jobs through more foreign investments to mitigating the impact of a changing climate. It requires patience and much effort to invest in new relationships; if successful, it can be remarkably rewarding and stabilizing for bilateral ties by integrating communities together.

It means making the case for Taiwan’s security as more than just an abstract, faraway argument for deterring China. It means deepening relationships city-by-city and state-by-state, so Americans can visibly see Taiwan’s economic footprint at home, understand what’s at stake if Taiwan is threatened, and realize why we have “skin in the game” to defend it.

Indeed, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is onto something in grounding the island’s foreign policy in the interests of local communities in partner countries (a concept he calls “integrated diplomacy,” which includes strategically leveraging and engaging with non-traditional players, such as businesses and local leaders, to pursue diplomatic objectives ). He sees a deliberate and dedicated diplomatic role in delivering meaningful contributions to demonstrate local impact, from Paraguay to Palau to Phoenix. 

That’s getting back to the basics: grassroots support, if channeled strategically, can energize strong international commitment. In fact, Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix was just here in Taipei last week with a delegation demonstrating so. A Taiwanese company will invest $65 billion to bring advanced chips production to America – creating economic opportunities and literally changing the face of the entire Phoenix region. 

I’m told there is keen interest in strengthening these community ties beyond the rarified halls of Washington think tanks and policy circles. Subnational discussions leading to mutual economic gains while also reinforcing both sides’ national security priorities are already in the offing. 

Oklahoma’s ambition to make Tulsa into the “Drone Capital of the World” has already brought the state’s governor to Taiwan to explore ways to align Taiwan’s urgent defense needs with Oklahoma’s pursuit of high-paying jobs. One senior Taiwan official noted this week that, after Ukraine, drones are now everything for the island and will be a critical part of Taiwan’s whole-of-society civil defense. 

In agriculture, Taiwan just cemented its place as Idaho’s second-largest trading partner with a $1.2 billion trade agreement benefiting the state’s wheat exports. And there are also robust exchanges between Taiwan and American governors regarding digital governance and leveraging technology for wildfire prevention. 

Along with energy cooperation in the Midwest, a workforce development program with Arizona State University, and the burgeoning tech hubs across Texas, all of this is building up a different kind of resilience. It is creating greater awareness among Americans of Taiwan’s importance to the United States’ own economic future. That is how bottom-up political capital is earned.

Every foreign policy expert knows that Taiwan is central to America’s national and economic security. It is the place where over 90 percent of the most advanced microchips are made. A Chinese blockade or invasion would disrupt the supply chains that make the global economy turn, impacting everything from phones to cars to computers. Deterring Beijing from attacking Taiwan is no longer just a matter of regional and global security. It is tightly tied to American jobs, innovation, and prosperity.

That may be how one wins a national security policy case, but it is not necessarily how one generates the public support needed to execute it. A grounded approach that shows the American people how Taiwan is fully integrated into our economy and consequential to our future prosperity should be a major part of our national security efforts this decade.

On this, Taiwan is all ready to go – and so must our cities and states.