US Congress vs White House: Who Really Sets US Policy on Taiwan?
The US Congress is pushing to strengthen support for Taiwan, even as the White House takes a more cautious approach toward Beijing. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) expands security cooperation beyond Taiwan to include the broader First Island Chain, calls for a review of delayed arms deliveries and authorizes the pre-positioning of US weapons and munitions in Taiwan. At the same time, Washington continues to delay a major arms package, while new reports question Taiwan’s defense readiness and the future of its semiconductor relationship with the US. Is America’s commitment to Taiwan growing stronger — or becoming more conditional? In this episode, we examine the latest US legislation, the debate over Taiwan’s preparedness and what the evolving relationship means for security across the First Island Chain. *Recorded on June 18, 2026 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Wen-Ti Sung Producer: Miguel Yang Our guests: Ronan Fu - Academia Sinica Institute of Political Science Assistant Research Fellow Adam Ma - Tamkang University Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies Assistant Professor
