The Taiwanese question is at the heart of Sino-American tensions. After the ambiguous remarks of Donald Trump, Taipei says it is ready for a direct exchange, while seeking to reassure Beijing and Washington.
Taiwan said it was in favor, this Monday, May 18, of a direct telephone conversation between Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and his American counterpart Donald Trump, Taipei striving to allay the concerns raised by Donald Trump’s remarks after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Taiwan was one of the main topics discussed by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at their summit last week, with the democratically governed island being claimed by Beijing.
Xi Jinping warned that a dispute over Taiwan with the United States could send relations between Beijing and Washington on a dangerous trajectory, or even result in conflict. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Donald Trump sows doubt about his intentions
During the summit, Donald Trump made a series of statements on Taiwan, saying that he was undecided about new arms sales and suggesting that he could speak with Lai Ching-te. The American president also said, regarding Taiwan, that the United States “Were not looking for someone to say: ‘Let’s move towards independence’.”
There has not been a direct exchange between a sitting US president and the leader of Taiwan since 1979, when Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of Beijing. Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told reporters that Donald Trump’s remarks had “Arousal with a useless restlessness” in Taiwan, although the island government believes that “nothing has changed”.
Chen Ming-chi added that if Donald Trump really wanted to talk to Lai Ching-te, Taiwan would welcome it.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson echoed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statements, saying U.S. policy toward Taiwan “reste inchangée”. He did not provide further details.
A White House fact sheet released Sunday about Donald Trump’s trip to China made no mention of Taiwan.
Arms sales and “independence”
Washington has traditionally been Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier, and is required under the US Taiwan Relations Act to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Chen Ming-chi said he could not comment on ongoing arms purchases, but added that the sales created jobs in the United States. “Our need for defense is “urgent,” at-il déclaré. “So I think, in the context of the Chinese threat, we need it as soon as possible.”
The vagueness of Donald Trump’s comments on “independence” of Taiwan has sparked a debate on the island, with Taipei seeking to know whether the American president is opposed to a formal declaration of independence.
“The correct interpretation should be: Trump does not want either side to take unilateral action that would force the United States to become involved in a conflict,” observed Tsai Jung-hsiang, professor at the National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan.
On Sunday, Lai Ching-te reaffirmed Taiwan’s independence, arguing that Taipei did not belong to or subordinate to Beijing.
China also said on Monday that it opposed countries providing a platform for activities “separatists in favor of Taiwan independence”while the island’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lin Chia-lung, is visiting Switzerland this week on the sidelines of a meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The Taiwanese authorities’ practice of sending people around the world to interfere in conferences in order to attract attention is nothing more than the behavior of little clowns,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s “Ministry” of Foreign Affairs, told reporters in Beijing.
“This will only bring them humiliation and is doomed to failure,” he added.
