US Scholar: Beijing May Exploit 'Trump Will Sell Out Taiwan' Narrative to Undermine Taiwan's Confidence
US scholar Eyck Freymann warned that China might use the narrative that 'Trump will sell out Taiwan' to wage information warfare and undermine the confidence of Taiwanese society. He emphasized that bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US is strong.
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- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 08:54
- 🔍 Collected: May 12, 2026 at 09:01 (7 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 14, 2026 at 19:32 (58h 30m after Collected)
Central Message
(Central News Agency, Reporter Chang Hsin-yu, San Francisco, 11th) - With the Trump-Xi meeting imminent, American scholar Eyck Freymann pointed out at a think tank seminar in Washington D.C. today that Trump's transactional and unpredictable diplomacy has indeed caused anxiety among Taiwan and regional allies. However, Beijing could also exploit this uncertainty to operate a narrative that "Trump will sell out Taiwan" to strike at the confidence of Taiwanese society.
Eyck Freymann warned of the risks of over-hyping the "Trump will sell out Taiwan" narrative at a Hudson Institute seminar, pointing out that this narrative is not only not necessarily accurate but could also be used by Beijing as a political tool to weaken Taiwan's confidence.
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit China this week.
Former KMT legislator and Hudson Institute senior fellow Hsu Yu-jen had a dialogue with Freymann, asking whether the strategic thinking in the White House's previously released "National Security Strategy" report, which places more emphasis on the strategic value of allies to U.S. economic interests, would affect the Trump-Xi talks, and whether Taiwan could become a bargaining chip. He asked Freymann for his interpretation.
Freymann believes that Trump's actions are not bound by the "National Security Strategy." Judging from the U.S. involvement in the Middle East war, there is a lack of consistency between the guidelines on paper and real-world decisions.
He said that Trump seems open to making deals, and his unpredictable and transactional diplomatic style is indeed worrying. He does not know what Trump is really thinking. He also believes that China does not expect any major breakthroughs from this summit.
He stated that with the Trump-Xi meeting approaching, the narrative that "Trump will sell out Taiwan" is sensational and easily attracts attention. However, he wanted to emphasize that this is precisely Beijing's strategy and political calculation. Beijing wants to weaken the morale of the Taiwanese people, making them feel they have no choice but to elect a KMT candidate and return Taiwan to negotiations based on the "1992 Consensus."
Freymann said that regardless of what Trump says or doesn't say in Beijing, Beijing will claim that Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping in a private conversation, "You can have Taiwan." Beijing will use all tools, including social media manipulation, united front work, etc., as weapons to strike at Taiwan's morale and confidence, and will adopt similar tactics in regions like Japan and South Korea.
Freymann stated that from his observation, the strength of support for Taiwan among the two parties in the U.S. Congress, across U.S. government departments, and among U.S. allies and partners is at its strongest in a very long time.
Speaking of KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wen's recent visit to China and her planned visit to the United States in early June, Freymann said that the U.S. should engage with all political parties in Taiwan and should trust the Taiwanese people to make wise decisions about their own future. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150512
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(Central News Agency, Reporter Chang Hsin-yu, San Francisco, 11th) - With the Trump-Xi meeting imminent, American scholar Eyck Freymann pointed out at a think tank seminar in Washington D.C. today that Trump's transactional and unpredictable diplomacy has indeed caused anxiety among Taiwan and regional allies. However, Beijing could also exploit this uncertainty to operate a narrative that "Trump will sell out Taiwan" to strike at the confidence of Taiwanese society.
Eyck Freymann warned of the risks of over-hyping the "Trump will sell out Taiwan" narrative at a Hudson Institute seminar, pointing out that this narrative is not only not necessarily accurate but could also be used by Beijing as a political tool to weaken Taiwan's confidence.
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit China this week.
Former KMT legislator and Hudson Institute senior fellow Hsu Yu-jen had a dialogue with Freymann, asking whether the strategic thinking in the White House's previously released "National Security Strategy" report, which places more emphasis on the strategic value of allies to U.S. economic interests, would affect the Trump-Xi talks, and whether Taiwan could become a bargaining chip. He asked Freymann for his interpretation.
Freymann believes that Trump's actions are not bound by the "National Security Strategy." Judging from the U.S. involvement in the Middle East war, there is a lack of consistency between the guidelines on paper and real-world decisions.
He said that Trump seems open to making deals, and his unpredictable and transactional diplomatic style is indeed worrying. He does not know what Trump is really thinking. He also believes that China does not expect any major breakthroughs from this summit.
He stated that with the Trump-Xi meeting approaching, the narrative that "Trump will sell out Taiwan" is sensational and easily attracts attention. However, he wanted to emphasize that this is precisely Beijing's strategy and political calculation. Beijing wants to weaken the morale of the Taiwanese people, making them feel they have no choice but to elect a KMT candidate and return Taiwan to negotiations based on the "1992 Consensus."
Freymann said that regardless of what Trump says or doesn't say in Beijing, Beijing will claim that Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping in a private conversation, "You can have Taiwan." Beijing will use all tools, including social media manipulation, united front work, etc., as weapons to strike at Taiwan's morale and confidence, and will adopt similar tactics in regions like Japan and South Korea.
Freymann stated that from his observation, the strength of support for Taiwan among the two parties in the U.S. Congress, across U.S. government departments, and among U.S. allies and partners is at its strongest in a very long time.
Speaking of KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wen's recent visit to China and her planned visit to the United States in early June, Freymann said that the U.S. should engage with all political parties in Taiwan and should trust the Taiwanese people to make wise decisions about their own future. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150512
Stand with the facts. Your every sponsorship is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-Hand News" APP for the latest news in real-time.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.