As global leaders converged on New York for the United Nations General Assembly in late September 2025, Taiwan found itself once again at the heart of a geopolitical tug-of-war between the world’s superpowers. Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, made headlines by publishing an op-ed titled "Time for UN to Recognize Taiwan" in Newsmax just before embarking on a groundbreaking visit to New York. This marked the first time a Taiwanese foreign minister had traveled to the city during a UN meeting, a move laden with diplomatic symbolism and political risk.
Lin’s visit didn’t occur in a vacuum. It came as U.S. President Trump was preparing for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Korea. The timing was no accident, and neither was the choice of Newsmax—a publication with a strong following in Trump’s political orbit. In his op-ed, Lin struck a careful balance, stating, "Taiwan does not seek conflict with China and will not provoke it. In fact, Taiwan is urging Beijing to resume dialogue on the basis of parity and dignity." According to Newsmax, Lin’s message was clear: Taiwan wants peace, but it won’t be sidelined.
Yet, beneath the surface, anxiety was brewing. Over the summer, Trump reportedly withheld $400 million in military aid to Taiwan, and in July, his administration asked Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to avoid stopping in the U.S. on his way to Latin America, as reported by The New York Times. These moves fueled speculation that Trump might be using Taiwan as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Beijing. The Wall Street Journal reported that Xi plans to pressure Trump to formally oppose Taiwanese independence—a move that would send shockwaves through the region.
Despite these concerns, U.S. officials maintained that their position on Taiwan had not changed. Alexander Gray, a former National Security Council Chief of Staff and now head of the geopolitical consulting firm American Global Strategies, tried to downplay the drama. "When we’re evaluating the relationship holistically, I think that these individual news stories sometimes become treated as a bigger focus than the overall relationship," Gray told reporters in a video interview. He hosted a notable event in Manhattan during UN General Assembly week, attended by Lin and representatives from India, Japan, the U.K., and several current State Department officials. Gray described his interaction with Lin as "ordinary cocktail party conversation," but added, "It’s just a great symbolic rejection of how … China tries to restrict Taiwan’s diplomatic space."
Palau’s President Surangel S. Whipps Jr., whose country is one of the few that still recognize Taiwan diplomatically, posted photos of himself with Lin and Gray on Facebook after the event. Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the U.S., Alexander Yui, was also present. The gathering underscored Taiwan’s efforts to maintain and expand its international partnerships, even as the number of countries recognizing it dwindles to just 13.
Meanwhile, the diplomatic chess game continued behind closed doors. On the same day that Trump spoke with Xi about a deal allowing TikTok to license its algorithm in the U.S., Reuters reported that Yui had met with members of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, including Devin Nunes and Robert O’Brien. These meetings, according to unnamed officials cited by Reuters, signal a growing influence of the advisory board in shaping U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Gray called these contacts "a major success for TECRO and for Taiwan," referring to Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington.
However, not everyone was convinced of the significance of these behind-the-scenes maneuvers. Christian Whiton, a former senior advisor in the State Department, dismissed the impact of such meetings, arguing, "This idea that they had an informal briefing where they received information from the de facto ambassador, and that that is somehow going to influence this administration, where policy is very tightly controlled at the top, very unusually, between Trump and Rubio and JD Vance is just not credible." Whiton had previously criticized the Lai administration’s approach to the Trump administration, sparking debate over how Taiwan can best navigate Washington’s shifting political landscape.
As Taiwan tried to keep its footing, Beijing was doubling down on its own narrative. On October 1, 2025, just before the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing’s foreign ministry released a position paper reaffirming that "Taiwan is part of China, not a sovereign state; it therefore has no right to send representatives to the UN," as reported by South China Morning Post. The paper emphasized three pillars of the one-China principle: there is only one China, Taiwan is an inseparable part of its territory, and the PRC government represents all of China in international affairs.
This position is rooted in the legacy of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, adopted on October 25, 1971. The resolution recognized the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China at the UN and expelled the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek, who had fled to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war. The vote tally—76 in favor, 35 against (including the U.S., Australia, Japan, and Brazil), and 17 abstentions—set the stage for the diplomatic status quo that persists today. Beijing has consistently argued that this resolution confirms Taiwan’s status as an inalienable part of China, rejecting any notion of "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan."
China’s position paper went further, criticizing the U.S. and its allies for "distorting history" by claiming Taiwan’s status is "undetermined." Beijing warned that such actions undermine both China’s sovereignty and the post-World War II international order. The paper insisted that "Taiwan has never been an independent country—past, present, or future," and that any attempt to separate Taiwan from China would be "strongly opposed by China’s 1.4 billion people and rejected by the international community." With more than 180 countries recognizing the one-China principle, Beijing considers this a prevailing global consensus.
Back in New York, Lin Chia-lung acknowledged the shifting diplomatic winds. Before his trip, he told Liberty Times that "Taiwan must shift from value-based diplomacy to value-added diplomacy," though he quickly added, "The most fundamental factors, of course, are democracy, freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights." It’s a delicate balancing act—Taiwan wants to show it can contribute to the world beyond lofty ideals, but it’s not about to abandon the very values that set it apart from its giant neighbor.
Some, like National Security Advisor John Bolton, remain skeptical of the U.S. commitment to Taiwan. In an op-ed for The Hill, Bolton warned that Trump might be "abandoning Taipei to Beijing’s tender mercies." Others, including analysts at the Brookings Institution, argue that concerns about Taiwan’s standing are "overblown." Still, as Derek Scissors and Zack Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute pointed out, "There’s not much that Taiwan can do … because Trump is going to prefer his relationship with Beijing over his relationship with Lai."
For now, Taiwan’s future remains uncertain, caught between the competing interests of Washington and Beijing. As the world watches, the island’s leaders are left to navigate a perilous diplomatic landscape—one where every handshake, every op-ed, and every closed-door meeting can have outsized consequences.
