Podcast Summary: Bannon’s War Room

Episode 4965: WarRoom Special: A One On One With The Vice President Of Taiwan
Host: Natalie Winters (for WarRoom.org)
Guest: Vice President of Taiwan
Date: December 2, 2025

Overview

This special episode features a comprehensive interview with the Vice President of Taiwan, conducted in Taiwan by Natalie Winters. The discussion spans Taiwan's democratic evolution, the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the dynamics of U.S.-Taiwan relations, mutual interests in defense and prosperity, the role of civil society, and practical advice for American listeners. The episode is both a tribute to Taiwan’s resilience and a deep dive into the realities of defending democracy on the front lines of geopolitical competition with China.

Main Themes & Discussion Points

1. Taiwan’s Democratic Journey & Identity

• Early Life and Political Awakening

  • The Vice President recounts her experience as a student during Taiwan’s transition away from martial law and how the first presidential elections in 1996 inspired her to return from the U.S. and serve her homeland.
    • “I thought, look, I don't want to spend the rest of my youth in the library of Columbia University, and I want to come back and be part of change and defending Taiwan, where I grew up.” (04:41 – VP)
  • Emphasizes Taiwan’s “civic identity” rooted in democratic self-determination.
    • “It’s not an ethnic identity, it's a civic identity...empowering the people to decide our own future.” (05:53 – VP)

• Generation of Change

  • She situates herself as part of the transitional generation, not having endured the worst of martial law but responsible to defend and cherish Taiwan’s hard-won freedoms.
    • “Freedom is not free. And it's generation after generation. It requires a lot of work..." (07:29 – VP)

2. Shared Values & U.S.-Taiwan Affinity

• Deep Parallels with the U.S.
  • The VP draws strong parallels between the American and Taiwanese stories:
    • “A lot of Taiwanese also see ourselves and our island as island of the free and the home of the brave.” (03:29 – VP)
  • Civil society, economic dynamism, and open government are highlighted as common strengths.
• Rules-Based Order & Prosperity
  • Shared interests include upholding freedom of navigation, fair trade, and tech development for human advancement.

3. Chinese Aggression: Military and Hybrid Threats

• Military Threats

  • The Vice President describes China’s persistent refusal to rule out the use of force and its expanding global military posture.
    • “They have been utilizing their...military strength to assert themselves in a very aggressive way, not only towards Taiwan but...towards our neighbors.” (11:31 – VP)

• Hybrid Warfare

  • China’s tactics go beyond military posturing:
    • Psychological warfare, cyberattacks (referencing Colonial Pipeline in the U.S.), disinformation, and political interference are coordinated to sow fear and division.
    • “They have also devised number of hybrid war tactics, psychological warfare, cognitive warfare, disinformation, the use of cyber attacks and political manipulation, infiltration in our political system..." (12:31 – VP)
  • Taiwan, she notes, is among the world’s most-targeted societies in cyber space.

• Psychological and Information Warfare

  • China targets three areas: discrediting democracy, attacking individual leaders (including placing her and others on wanted lists), and sowing divisions between Taiwan and potential allies.

    “These psychological warfare tactics...attempts to quiet our society, to suppress resistance to their political agenda.” (17:00 – VP)

4. The Path to Peace: Deterrence & Partnership

• Vision for “Winning” Cross-Strait Relations
  • Peace must be mutual and respect the will of the Taiwanese people:

    “Peace cannot involve domination by one side over another. That is never sustainable.” (21:03 – VP) “We also subscribe to the concept that Americans talk about...peace through strength.” (24:22 – VP)

• Building Deterrence and Self-Sufficiency
  • Detailing efforts to ramp up Taiwan’s defense capabilities, especially in drones, robotics, and domestic supply chains—highlighting co-production potential with the U.S.

5. Economic Collaboration & Mutual Benefit

• Supply Chains & Made in America

  • The Vice President emphasizes Taiwan’s economic value to the U.S., referencing TSMC’s heavy investment in Arizona and fostering trust in supply chains.

    “Taiwan Semiconductor...has invested in Arizona to build mega fabs...the largest greenfield investment by a foreign country in the United States in your history.” (26:45 – VP)

• Message to American Workers

  • Taiwan’s role enables resilient U.S. manufacturing, job creation, and economic security.

    “We will contribute to parts and components that are reliable, trusted, efficient and computer competitive.” (27:36 – VP)

6. Addressing U.S. Domestic Concerns

• On Stretching U.S. Commitments Globally

  • Acknowledges American fatigue about foreign interventions, but stresses that fortified Taiwanese self-defense is key to preventing conflict—and that Taiwan is pro-active, not passive:

    “The Taiwanese people are not...sitting around waiting to be saved. We are proactively investing in our defenses...we are not just a victim of coercion and military threats. We are a proactive partner.” (31:33 – VP)

• On the Prospect of U.S. Troops

  • Makes clear that Taiwan’s priority is to prevent escalation to armed conflict by making any attack by China “a cost too hard to bear.”

    “Everything we are doing is to prevent that particular hypothetical situation from staying hypothetical, from never actually happening…” (34:17 – VP)

7. Perceptions and Misconceptions

• On How Washington and Beijing Misread Taiwan
  • Warns against underestimating Taiwanese will to defend themselves; counters Chinese narratives portraying Taiwan as weak or a "troublemaker.”

    “The only one seeking to disrupt peace and the status quo in this region is the People's Liberation Army. We are all for the status quo and for stability.” (37:35 – VP)

8. Learning from History: China, Russia, and Deterrence

• Internal CCP Dynamics

  • Preparing for the worst-case scenarios: internal instability in China could prompt aggression, but overconfidence could be just as dangerous. Maintaining strong deterrence and international coordination is essential.

• Comparisons to Russia and Ukraine

  • Draws direct parallels between China’s and Russia’s playbooks—cyber attacks, information warfare, military build-up—and the need for robust deterrent strategies.

    “We see a lot of indications that they are working from the same playbook...But we also see indications of China’s very focused military exercises, their military buildup that also pose very dangerous threats to the stability of this region.” (44:52 – VP)

9. Building Understanding and Solidarity

• How Americans Can Connect to Taiwan
  • Suggestions range from enjoying Taiwanese culture (bubble tea, food), learning about Taiwan’s society, to direct engagement with Taiwanese communities in the U.S. or even student exchanges.

    “Taiwan is so much more than...geopolitical complexities. We are a very vibrant society with living people, with human beings who have been innovative...” (46:41 – VP) “Trying some Taiwanese food or a cup of bubble tea, that's a connection to Taiwan...But going beyond that, it's also looking at all the products around you, the supply chains, and how important it is to work with trusted and reliable partners like Taiwan.” (47:07 – VP)

10. Closing Reflection

• Resilience in the Face of Adversity
  • Moving closing thoughts on the toughness and invisibility Taiwanese people sometimes experience:

    “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And it's our daily reality. You know, we are living in very tough days. It's very tough being a Taiwanese in the world today as we are up against just so much pressure. And it's tough being Taiwanese because very often we're also rendered invisible...” (50:22 – VP)

  • Emphasizes Taiwan’s ongoing contribution to democracy and the global good despite these obstacles.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Taiwan’s Identity:
  “Taiwan’s identity...is about the fact that we can have elections, choose our own leadership...empowering the people to decide our own future.” (05:53 – VP)
• On Hybrid Warfare:
  “They have also devised number of hybrid war tactics, psychological warfare, cognitive warfare, disinformation, the use of cyber attacks and political manipulation, infiltration in our political system...” (12:31 – VP)
• On Peace with Strength:
  “Peace cannot involve domination by one side over another...we also subscribe to the concept that Americans talk about and that is peace through strength.” (21:03, 24:22 – VP)
• On U.S. Commitments:
  “We are not just a victim of coercion and military threats. We are a proactive partner and...work with others to ensure that our shared interests, that our shared agenda can be achieved.” (31:53 – VP)
• On Misconceptions of Taiwan:
  “The only one seeking to disrupt peace and the status quo in this region is the People's Liberation Army. We are all for the status quo and for stability.” (37:35 – VP)
• On Resilience:
  “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. ...Just being Taiwan is so difficult. And so what many other countries take for granted is a daily struggle for the Taiwanese people. But I think the Taiwanese people deserve better...” (50:22 – VP)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|-----------| | 03:03 – 07:51 | Democratic journey, civil society, and personal reflection on political awakening (VP) | | 08:17 – 10:55 | Shared values with the U.S.; open government and civil society (VP) | | 11:16 – 15:00 | Military/hybrid threats: cyber, psychological warfare; specific U.S./global examples (VP) | | 16:50 – 20:20 | CCP's three-pronged psychological warfare: undermine democracy, attack individuals, sow division (VP) | | 20:37 – 24:34 | Defining peace, vision for cross-strait relations, "peace through strength" (VP) | | 24:50 – 26:26 | U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation; drones, robotics, innovation (VP) | | 26:40 – 29:17 | Strategic economic value of Taiwan to the U.S., TSMC in Arizona (VP) | | 30:21 – 33:48 | Addressing American worries about foreign entanglements and Taiwan's self-reliance (VP) | | 34:03 – 36:00 | On avoiding U.S. boots on the ground by strengthening deterrence (VP) | | 36:14 – 39:25 | Misconceptions in Washington, Chinese disinformation campaigns (VP) | | 39:25 – 43:07 | CCP internal dynamics, parallels to Russia, deterrence strategy (VP) | | 44:46 – 46:25 | Insights on Russia/Ukraine and CCP parallels, urgency of deterrence (VP) | | 46:31 – 49:59 | How Americans can understand Taiwan: culture, exchanges, personal engagement (VP) | | 50:21 – 51:54 | On resilience: "When the going gets tough," the daily reality of being Taiwanese (VP) |

Final Thoughts

This episode skillfully bridges Taiwanese and American perspectives, underscoring the high stakes of the Indo-Pacific power struggle while highlighting Taiwan’s modern identity, resilience, and partnership potential. The Vice President’s candid insights, personal anecdotes, and strategic clarity make the conversation essential listening (or reading) for anyone concerned with democracy’s future in Asia and the world.