Since taking office at the beginning of 2025, U.S. President Donald Trumphas sparked speculation about future U.S. policy towards Taiwan, particularly in the wake of meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in October and accepting an invitation to visit Beijing in April 2026.
In the midst of these speculations, Andrew Nathan, one of America's most senior China experts andprofessor of political science at Columbia University, visited Taiwan for an exclusive interview with Storm Media on Trump's Cross-Strait policy.
Does Trump's Team Lack China Experts?
Nathan claimed that China experts on Trump's team, such as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were trying to push for a pivot to Asia, away from the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. He noted that such a pivot has been a theme in U.S. foreign policy since the Obama administration.
"I can't say he (Trump) entirely lacks talent. But I think he has weakened his team and does not listen to others," Nathan said.
He pointed to Trump's removal of Deputy National Security Advisor Alex Wong from the National Security Council earlier this year and recent personnel cuts at the State Department.
Nathan further noted that Trump's inability to listen tohis subordinates, such as the U.S. intelligence community, often leads him to prefer trusting leaders whom he views as equals - like Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
