A political row has broken out in Taipei after Trump publicly criticized a US think tank and pointed to Taiwan's representative office in Washington as one of its foreign funders — awkward for Taiwan's government at a delicate moment in relations with Washington.

• Trump attacked the Center for American Progress, a group close to the Democrats, and singled out Taiwan as a foreign donor.
• The opposition KMT says the ruling DPP has tilted too far toward think tanks hostile to Trump and asked whether anyone assessed the risk.
• Taiwan's foreign ministry says its think tank work is transparent, spans both US parties, and stays out of American domestic politics.
• The ministry called it regrettable that people and media are twisting the issue for domestic political gain.
• Taipei stressed that trade, investment, supply chain, tech and security cooperation with Washington has deepened since Trump took office.

Outlook: Expect the KMT to keep pressing on whether Taiwan's Washington lobbying is out of step with the Trump administration, while the government insists ties are still strengthening.