After a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te urged Washington to continue selling weapons to Taipei.
During his summit with Trump, Xi said that the Taiwan issue would determine the future of the relationship between the US and China. Following the meeting, Trump said that he has not approved a $14 billion proposed weapons sale to Taiwan because it is a “negotiating chip” with China.
It is also notable that during talks with Xi, Trump did not commit to sending US forces to Taiwan if China invaded. The remark signals that the US is returning to strategic ambiguity, after President Joe Biden repeatedly said the US would send troops to defend Taiwan.
President Lai said that the meeting between Xi and Trump raised alarm in Taipei. “In the past few days, President Trump visited China and met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping,” he wrote on Facebook Sunday. “Everyone is very concerned about the Taiwan issue mentioned at the Sichuan-Xi meeting.”
“China has never abandoned its intention to annex Taiwan by force and continues to expand its military capabilities in an attempt to alter the regional and cross-strait status quo.” He added that US arms sales and security cooperation “are not only necessary but also key elements in maintaining regional peace and stability.”
Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway region and plans to reunify with the island in the long term. Lai argued that Taiwan is an independent nation. “Taiwan is a sovereign and independent democratic country,” the Taiwanese leader’s post said. “We reject China’s fake ‘unification’ as a result of the United Front infiltration and politically motivated coerced exchange and dialogue that seeks to annex Taiwan.”
