Musk's rocket company SpaceX, which launches the Starlink satellites, has extensive contracts with the US Department of Defense and he has a security clearance that gives him access to classified information. NASA relies on its Falcon rockets to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Starlink is not available in Taiwan. A map of global availability on the company's website says: “Service date is unknown at this time.”

China considers democratic Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to take control of the island and has never renounced the use of force.

Taiwan, which restricts foreign satellite operators, has been aiming to build its own satellite network in low Earth orbit since late 2022. Some politicians cite Mr. Musk's conflicts of interest with China, where his electric car maker Tesla has production facilities to build its own alternative.

Those efforts took on renewed urgency after shipping vessels last year damaged two underwater internet cables connecting some of Taiwan's offshore islands near mainland China, almost completely cutting them off from contact with the outside world. Some analysts viewed the sortie as a dress rehearsal by Beijing for its invasion tactics.

On Thursday, Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs launched the island's first domestically-made high-altitude balloons, designed to serve as backup communications channels in case of an emergency.

In February, members of the US Congress said Starlink's actions against Taiwan could jeopardize its government contracts. Mike Gallagher, a Republican representative for Wisconsin, said that by not providing its service in Taiwan, SpaceX could be violating its contract to make the U.S. government's service available worldwide, according to a letter reviewed by The New York Times.

SpaceX is “in full compliance with all of its U.S. government contracts,” the company said at the time. “SpaceX informed the Select Committee last week that it was misinformed, but the Committee chose to contact the media before seeking additional information.”

Mr. Musk, the world's richest man with an estimated fortune of $270 billion according to Bloomberg, recently voiced his support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, joining him on the campaign trail and donating millions of dollars to appeal to voters in swing states encourage.

His increasing presence has led to speculation that Musk may seek greater influence in a new administration in 2025.

According to a recent book by veteran political journalist Bob Woodward, Trump has also spoken regularly by phone with Vladimir Putin since leaving office.