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In late September 2024, when a wave of coordinated pager explosions in Lebanon left dozens of resistance members dead and hundreds wounded, the sudden appearance of the Taiwanese company “Apollo Gold” as the manufacturer of the compromised devices drew the attention of experts to a deeper, rapidly expanding security partnership between Israel and Taiwan. In recent years, relations between the two entities, both of which like to frame themselves as living under an “existential threat” (one by Iran, the other by China), have moved far beyond routine diplomatic engagement and entered the realm of defense cooperation and frontier technologies. From the covert transfer of radar and missile systems used to build Taiwan’s T-Dome air defense network, modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome, to joint work in AI, cybersecurity and semiconductors, the picture emerging is that of a strategic “security-technology pact” designed to weather the geopolitical storms created by the intensifying rivalry between Beijing and Washington.
Historical Background: From Quiet Collaboration to Strategic Partnership
Unofficial ties date back to the 1950s, but Beijing’s insistence on the One-China policy prevented any formal recognition. Israel officially recognized the PRC in 1950, yet continued clandestine military cooperation with Taiwan from the 1970s onward, often facilitated by the United States. This included missile transfers, drone technology such as the Harpy, and even nuclear-related know-how. Through the 1990s, Israel supplied advanced weapons to help Taiwan maintain a balance of power with China, a policy that repeatedly irritated both Beijing and Washington.
Since 1993, Taipei and Tel Aviv have operated “economic–cultural offices,” and more than 30 agreements have been signed, spanning technology (2006), water management, and e-government (2011). In Western geopolitical discourse, both entities are framed as “isolated democracies” facing internal and external threats from Iran–Hezbollah (for Israel) and China (for Taiwan). This narrative has helped cultivate a sense of mutual strategic identity, grounded in what their supporters like to call “peace through strength.”
Political and Diplomatic Cooperation
Since 2023, after the October 7 Al Aqsa Flood operation, ties between the two became visibly warmer. Taiwan swiftly condemned the Palestinian resistance attack, sent financial aid, and launched anti–“antisemitism” media campaigns. Israel reciprocated by backing Taiwan in UN forums.
On October 27, 2025, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te met a delegation from AIPAC, marking the first American–Israeli lobby mission to Taipei. Lai remarked:
“People in Taiwan often look to the Jewish people as a model when we face international challenges and sovereignty threats from China.”
He even invoked the “David versus Goliath” metaphor and described Israel as an “inspiring template” for national defense. Two days later, Lai emphasized the need for a trilateral Taiwan–US–Israel partnership in security and high-tech, with Taiwan positioned as the global semiconductor hub, producing 60 percent of the world’s chips.
This rhetoric, meanwhile, runs starkly against the backdrop of Taiwanese street protests condemning Israel’s “genocide in Gaza.”
Economic and Technological Cooperation
Economic complementarity has become the backbone of the relationship. Bilateral trade reached 3.2 billion dollars in 2024, with tourism rising 30 percent and more than 50,000 Israeli visitors entering Taiwan in 2025. Over 30 agreements now cover strategic fields including AI and cybersecurity (2025). The “Taiwan–Israel Tech Bridge” initiative integrates Israeli startups into Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem, dominated by TSMC, which produces 90 percent of the world’s advanced chips. That monopoly is one of the underlying drivers of the US–China struggle over Taiwan, and it explains why Israel views access to this ultra-strategic industry as a matter of long-term survival.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s high-tech giant Foxconn invested half a billion dollars in Israel’s defense technology sector last year, cementing a new dimension of the partnership.
Military and Security Dimensions
Facing the possibility of a Chinese missile assault or invasion, Taiwan is directly borrowing from Israeli defense concepts such as the Iron Dome and reserve army structures. On October 10, 2025, the Taiwanese president unveiled the “T-Dome,” a multi-layered defense system with advanced detection and interception capabilities, openly inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome and Trump’s “Golden Dome.” The project is framed as essential to counter Chinese strikes.
American analysts like retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery have long urged Taiwan to build a reserve system modeled on Israel’s.
Accelerating Technology Transfer
Beyond older transfers of drones, missiles and nuclear-related knowledge, cooperation has recently intensified around cybersecurity, Hermes-class drones, and so-called “civil resilience.” After October 7, Israeli advisers increased their efforts to transfer “asymmetric warfare” expertise to Taiwan.
A particularly sensitive matter is the strong suspicion among intelligence circles that Taiwan may have been directly involved in the pager bombings against Hezbollah personnel in 2024 through a joint Israeli–Taiwanese operation. If true, it stands as one of the most sophisticated terror operations in recent history.
Challenges
Beijing views the Taipei–Tel Aviv axis as aggravating and has the leverage of 25 billion dollars in annual Israel–China trade to pressure Tel Aviv. After October 7, China adopted an openly anti-Israel posture to expand its influence across West Asia.
Taiwan maintains no separate diplomatic presence in the region. Yet alleged involvement in the pager attacks automatically places Taipei on the side of the Israeli occupation in West Asian conflicts.
It is impossible to analyze this relationship outside the expanding US–China geopolitical showdown. Washington’s strategic umbrella defines the boundaries of how far Israel–Taiwan ties can go, especially in defense and advanced technologies. Any escalation in cooperation will inevitably provoke a counter-move from Beijing.
This is precisely where the scenario of deeper China–Iran cooperation comes into play: strengthening military–security and high-tech collaboration between Tehran and Beijing would serve as a balancing mechanism against the emerging Taiwan–US–Israel triangle.
Translated by Ashraf Hemmati
[1] https://english.president.gov.tw/News/7029
[1] https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkuweq0031x
[1] https://www.foxconn.com/en-us/press-center/events/foxconn-events/340
[1] https://www.inss.org.il/publication/israel-taiwan-2025/
[1] https://www.yalejournal.org/publications/students-of-survival
[1] https://thediplomat.com/2025/07/chinas-taiwan-message-to-israel-and-the-limits-of-pragmatism/
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