(TNND) — A RAND defense analyst wrote that American ally Taiwan is “jittery” about its relationship with the U.S. but doesn’t have reason for concern based on President Donald Trump’s actions since taking office.

RAND analyst Derek Grossman wrote last week that Taiwan seems ready to appease Trump, pledging to spend more on defense and investing with its private sector in the U.S.

One source of stress for the island seems to be Trump’s just-announced 32% reciprocal tariff.

Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said over the weekend that his government wouldn’t retaliate, seeking to calm any tensions with a vital trading partner.

Grossman wrote that Taiwan “should take a deep breath and consider the bright side. Since the Trump administration came into office, both its statements and actions have been consistent with previous administrations, which have been highly supportive of Taiwan. Although Taipei may perceive a heightened threat of abandonment, the facts thus far -- specific to Taiwan -- do not support such a snap judgment."

Steven Lewis, the senior China fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, echoed Grossman’s sentiments on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.

Lewis said Monday that Trump hasn’t signaled any major departures from long-standing U.S. policies on Taiwan.

“That said, I think what's ... happened with capital markets really has Taiwan spooked,” Lewis said.

Taiwan is an export economy and a leading semiconductor chip producer.

Those chips are exempt from the tariffs.

And Taiwan’s president proposed a zero-tariff relationship with the U.S. to maintain that economic lifeline.

“They have one of the larger trade imbalances with us,” Lewis said. “But, that said, it's mainly stuff we really, really need, like semiconductors."

Taiwan is also dependent on U.S. financial services, Lewis said.

“They're giving basically everything to President Trump that he's asked for,” Lewis said.

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China maintains that Taiwan belongs to it.

Taiwan views itself as a sovereign nation, having split with mainland China’s ruling Communist Party after a civil war more than seven decades ago.

The U.S. views Taiwan as an ally philosophically and economically and has a “robust unofficial relationship” with the island, according to the State Department.

The U.S. also supplies arms to Taiwan.

But the U.S. doesn’t have an official diplomatic relationship with Taiwan and recognizes the “one China” policy.

Lewis said the U.S. uses “very delicate wording” when talking about its relations with Taiwan to avoid unnecessary provocation of China.

Maintaining a good relationship with Taiwan is important for the U.S., given Trump’s focus on China as the region’s key adversary, Lewis said.

The island is a thriving democracy in a region that doesn't have a lot of democracies, he said.

And maintaining peace in the waters surrounding Taiwan is critically important to the global economy, Lewis said.

Sustaining peace between China and Taiwan, even if it’s a tense peace, is also in China’s best economic interests, Lewis said.

“They're much better off doing what they're doing, which is being intimidating but not so threatening that they disrupt the Taiwanese economy,” he said.