US support for Taiwan is still “very strong,” according to a Taiwanese official

A top Taiwan security official stated on Thursday that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump continues to have “very strong” support for Taiwan and that Taiwan is considering additional purchases from the US, particularly LNG, to assist balance trade.

Trump has stated that he wants the semiconductor industry to go back to the United States and has frequently attacked Taiwan for stealing American companies.

Given Taiwan’s significant trade surplus, he has also threatened to impose wide import duties on nations with unbalanced trade with the US.

The president of Taiwan’s National Security Council, Joseph Wu, claimed the island had many allies in the new government, particularly in the security and defense sector, during his remarks at the Halifax International Security Forum in Taipei.

“The Trump administration support for Taiwan remains very strong,” he stated. “I think Taiwan is in a good position.”

Wu said that Taiwan’s TSMC (2330.TW), the leading manufacturer of cutting-edge semiconductors, began from scratch when asked about Trump’s remarks regarding chips.

“Nothing was taken from anyone by us. When it comes to conducting business with the world community, Taiwan has been extremely truthful,” he stated.

Taiwan has a significant trade imbalance with the United States, which increased by 83% last year. The demand for high-tech goods like semiconductors drove the island’s exports to the U.S. to reach a record $111.4 billion.

According to Wu, Taiwan is talking about what else it can get from the US.

“If the United States has a very good product Taiwan happens to need, then it will be (among) the items that we will be thinking about,” he stated.

Although the majority of Taiwan’s current supply comes from Qatar and Australia, the government is already looking into liquefied natural gas, or LNG, particularly from Alaska.

Wu claimed that although U.S. LNG was of extremely high quality, its delivery to Taiwan took longer because it had to pass through the Panama Canal and came from Texas and Louisiana, two established suppliers.

“If Alaska starts producing LNG in big numbers, that will be a very good time for us to buy more and we are in discussion with Alaska now,” he stated without providing any information.