Taiwan Wants to Deepen Ties With Israel, Foreign Minister Says

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Nov 13, 2025 - 10:56 Updated: Nov 13, 2025 - 10:50
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Taiwan Wants to Deepen Ties With Israel, Foreign Minister Says

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Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel because of its support for the island nation, the country’s foreign minister said on Nov. 12.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung told reporters that Taiwan will be “friendly to countries that are friendly to [Taiwan].”

As an example of Israel’s support, Lin referenced a declaration signed in July by 72 members of the Israeli Knesset, the country’s parliament, which called for Taiwan’s greater inclusion in international organizations.
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Lin added that the Palestinian territories are “very bad to Taiwan” because they back the “One China” principle, which holds that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of it.
Lin also told journalists during a meeting organized by the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club that Taiwan prioritized humanitarian aid during the Israel–Hamas war, saying, “We provide a lot of humanitarian aid to both sides, including the Gaza Strip and Palestine.”

Israel’s Calls for Taiwan’s Inclusion

In July, 72 cross-party members of the Knesset—a majority of the legislative body—backed a call to include Taiwan in key international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Boaz Toporovsky, the Knesset member responsible for Israel–Taiwan Inter-Parliamentary Relations, said in a July 24 post on X: “This is not just a symbolic gesture—it’s about values, morality, and global partnership.

“Taiwan contributes, collaborates, and leads in the fields of innovation, medicine, healthcare, and the environment—and it does so with responsibility and solidarity, even as it is excluded from major international bodies for purely political reasons.”

Toporovsky said that over the years, particularly since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack against Israel, Taiwan had shown itself not only to be a “vibrant democracy that shares [Israel’s] values,” but also one that helps Israelis on the ground.

“The future belongs to democracies that work together—not to those that exclude,” Toporovsky said. “Taiwan is one of them!”

In September, Toporovsky met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

Toporovsky, following the meeting, called Taiwan “a true friend of Israel,” highlighting that the country had funded the establishment of a maritime resilience center in Palmachim, south of Tel Aviv, which the Knesset member said at the time had treated more than 1,000 survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks and their families.

The Israeli lawmaker said in a Sept. 16 post on X, “At a time when many countries are abandoning Israel, it is our duty to remember who our true friends are and to stand by them, just as they stand by us.”

Israel ‘Model’ for Taiwan Defense

In October, Lai called Israel a “model” for the island nation’s defense.
Addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) dinner on Oct. 27, the Taiwanese president said: “The Taiwanese people often look to the example of the Jewish people when facing challenges to our international standing and threats to our sovereignty from China. The people of Taiwan have never become discouraged.”
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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers his address during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei on Oct. 10, 2025. Sung Pi-lung/The Epoch Times
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He added that appeasement was never the right way to stop authoritarian regimes and that the United States, Taiwan, and Israel stand by the concept of peace through strength.

“Israel’s determination and capacity to defend its territory provides a valuable model for Taiwan. I have always believed that Taiwan needs to channel the spirit of David against Goliath in standing up to authoritarian coercion,” he said, according to comments released by Taiwan’s Office of the President on Oct. 28.

T-Dome Air Defense Systems

In October, Taiwan unveiled plans for a “T-Dome” multilayered air defense system, with an integrated “sensor-to-shooter” mechanism that will provide a more effective response to possible future attacks from Beijing, which claims the island nation as its own.

Lai rejects the Chinese Communist Party’s sovereignty claims and has pledged to increase defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2030.

During his speech to AIPAC, Lai said that T-Dome was “inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome and the U.S. Golden Dome.”

“I hope that the United States, Israel, and other partner countries will continue to highlight the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait to regional and global peace and prosperity,” he said.

“I believe that trilateral Taiwan–US–Israel cooperation can help achieve regional peace, stability, and prosperity.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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