Trump denied a request for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to transit through New York this year, and the Trump administration canceled a planned meeting in Washington with Taiwan’s defense minister in June. Trump denied a request for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to transit through New York this year, and the Trump administration canceled a planned meeting in Washington with Taiwan’s defense minister in June. “Over half of world trade passes through the Taiwan Strait, not to mention the manufacturing of Taiwan’s semiconductors,” he said. Lai’s government has committed to increasing Taiwan’s defense spending to at least 3 percent of its GDP by next year (though Trump and other administration officials have demanded 10 percent). It’s the same message he shares with Trump and Washington.