CaliToday (12/11/2025): While much of the world isolates Israel over its protracted and devastating war in Gaza, Taiwan is charting a conspicuously different course. In a move that lays bare the island's starkly pragmatic approach to foreign policy, Taiwan’s new government is actively seeking to "deepen its ties" with Israel, a decision that trades global consensus for tangible diplomatic support.
 |
| Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung speaks to reporters in Taipei city in Taiwan on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai |
The statement by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung on Wednesday was not a diplomatic misstep; it was a clear-eyed declaration of Taiwan’s fundamental foreign policy: survival and recognition trump all else.
This strategy forces Taipei to navigate a narrow and controversial path, balancing its democratic, human-rights-based identity against the harsh reality of its global isolation.
A Transactional Approach: "Friendly to Countries That Are Friendly to Us"
At the heart of Minister Lin's justification is a simple, transactional metric. Israel, he argued, has shown Taiwan support "unmatched by other countries in the Middle East."
The core evidence for this is a declaration signed earlier this year by 72 members of the Israeli Knesset (parliament). This declaration supported Taiwan's inclusion in international bodies like the World Health Organization—a major diplomatic goal for Taipei, which is routinely blocked by Beijing.
To a nation of 23 million people starved for international recognition, a supportive statement from over half of another country's parliament is not a minor gesture. It is a significant crack in the "One-China" wall that Beijing has spent decades building around the island.
This pro-Israel stance was sharpened by Lin's blunt, almost undiplomatic, assessment of the other side. "Palestine is very bad to Taiwan," he stated, citing the Palestinian Authority's long-standing alignment with Beijing and its adherence to the "One-China" principle.
For Taiwan, this is the ultimate litmus test. In its view, any nation that formally endorses Beijing's claim over the island is actively participating in its diplomatic and political erasure.
Navigating the Human Rights Minefield
This transactional diplomacy, however, comes at a high price. Lin’s statements are made in the shadow of widespread international condemnation of Israel's military conduct in Gaza and against the backdrop of an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal.
The minister’s defense that "human rights and national interests must be aligned" rings hollow to critics who see the two as clearly in conflict in this case.
Taiwan’s government has already faced sharp criticism for a planned donation to a medical center in an Israeli settlement. When pressed by journalists to confirm if this controversial plan had been abandoned, Lin was evasive, offering "no conclusive answer."
Instead, he pivoted to safer ground, insisting that Taiwan prioritizes humanitarian support and has provided significant aid to both sides, including the Gaza Strip. This dual approach—political support for Israel, humanitarian aid for Palestinians is an attempt to mitigate the fallout, but it has failed to satisfy critics who accuse Taipei of turning a blind eye to human rights violations in exchange for political favor.
The Broader Strategy: A Global Hunt for Allies
Taiwan's pivot toward Israel is not happening in a vacuum. It is one piece of a much larger, multi-pronged strategy to find and secure allies anywhere they can be found.
This larger game was on full display just last week, when Taiwanese Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao—a high-profile and influential diplomat made a rare visit to Brussels. Her mission was the same: to urge the European Union to boost security and trade ties.
Furthermore, Lin’s offer to teach other countries how to handle China's "gray-zone tactics" and data security is a key part of this new diplomatic playbook. Taiwan is signaling to the West, including both the EU and key US allies like Israel, that it is not a diplomatic burden but a strategic asset a front-line state with invaluable expertise in countering Beijing’s expansionism.
Ultimately, Taiwan’s government has made a cold calculation. Faced with an existential threat from Beijing and locked out of most of the global south, it will seize support from any democratic nation willing to offer it, even if that nation is itself at the center of a global firestorm.