Taiwan emphasized on Saturday that it is an independent nation, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump warned the island against making a formal declaration of independence following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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In a statement, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Taiwan is a "sovereign, independent, and democratic country, and is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China (PRC)."
The Taiwanese remarks came a day after Trump concluded a visit to Beijing. Following his talks with President Xi Jinping, Trump stated, "I don’t want anybody declaring independence," adding, "We don’t want somebody saying, ‘let’s declare independence because the United States is backing us.’"
In an interview with Fox News, recorded before his departure from Beijing and aired on Friday, Trump continued: "And as you know, we're supposed to go 9,500 miles to fight a war, and I don't want that." Taiwan relies heavily on U.S. security assistance to deter China from executing its threats to annex the island by force.
Under U.S. law, Washington is required to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. However, the U.S. maintains a policy of "strategic ambiguity" regarding whether it would intervene militarily to defend Taipei.
While the United States officially recognizes only the government in Beijing and does not formally support Taiwanese independence, it typically avoids explicitly stating opposition to it.
President Xi had opened the summit with a stark warning regarding Taiwan, telling his U.S. counterpart that any missteps on this sensitive issue could lead to "conflict."
For its part, the Taiwanese presidency pointed on Saturday to "assurances from the U.S. side, including President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that U.S. policy and its stance toward Taiwan remain unchanged."
"Cooperation between Taiwan and the United States has always been demonstrated through actions," presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement. "Taiwan looks forward to continuing to work with the United States under the firm commitments of the Taiwan Relations Act."
U.S. Arms Sales
Prior to the Beijing summit, Trump indicated he would discuss U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with Xi, a move that marks a departure from Washington's long-standing position of not consulting Beijing on the matter.
Taiwan's parliament recently approved a $25 billion defense spending bill earmarked for purchasing U.S. weaponry.
Lawmakers stated that these funds would cover approximately $9 billion of an $11.1 billion arms package announced by Washington in December, alongside a second phase of arms deals exceeding $15 billion, which has not yet been approved by the U.S.
According to the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry's statement, U.S. arms sales to Taipei fall under Washington's security commitments to the island and constitute "a form of joint deterrence against regional threats." This response followed Trump's remarks that he had not yet made a final decision on the matter.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that it has been unable to reunify with the mainland since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. While Beijing advocates for a peaceful resolution, it refuses to renounce the use of force.
Furthermore, Beijing fiercely opposes any actions that, in its view, would undermine "reunification," which it considers inevitable and non-negotiable.
Source: AFP
