Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, said that Taiwan should pay the United States for defending it from China, a remark highlighting the uncertainties — and high stakes — of how he might handle the smoldering Taiwan Strait dispute if he should win a second term.

       Taiwan depends on political and military support from the United States to help resist pressure from Beijing, which claims the island as Chinese territory. Mr. Trump warned that Taiwan is perilously exposed to any attack from China and far away from U.S. protection, and signaled that he would take a more bluntly conditional approach to Taiwan.

       “I think Taiwan should pay us for defense,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that published on Tuesday. “You know, we’re no different than an insurance company.”

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       Just as Mr. Trump’s denigration of NATO has rattled America’s allies, his comments on Taiwan raised the question of how invested a second Trump presidency would be in the island’s defense. The United States is committed by law to help Taiwan defend itself, and leaves open the possibility of sending forces if Beijing ever attacks the island.

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       A military exercise in Taiwan in 2023.Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

       Mr. Trump also took aim at Taiwan’s dominance in making advanced semiconductors, saying: “They did take about 100 percent of our chip business.”

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