Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te asserted on Sunday that Taiwan "will not be sacrificed or sold," in response to statements by the US president. Donald Trump following his recent summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
In a Facebook post, Lai Ching-te asserted that Taiwan would not relinquish its free way of life "under pressure." He also reiterated that US arms sales to the island constituted a security commitment based on law and designed to preserve stability in the Taiwan Strait.
This stance marks the first direct reaction from the Taiwanese president following the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping last week in Beijing. This summit had raised serious concerns in Taiwan regarding the strength of American support in the face of Chinese territorial claims.
Donald Trump had stated that he was still considering the possibility of further arms sales to the island and had asserted that the United States did not wish to encourage a formal declaration of independence for Taiwan. "We don't want someone saying, 'Let's become independent because the United States supports us,'" he explained.
China considers Taiwan a Chinese province destined for reunification, by force if necessary. Beijing firmly opposes any official international support for Taiwan's democratically elected government.
Lai Ching-te indicated that the Taiwanese people were "very concerned" about the discussions concerning the island at the US-China summit. He nevertheless thanked Washington for its continued attention to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
This latest diplomatic spat illustrates the persistent tensions surrounding Taiwan, which has become one of the main points of friction between the United States and China in a context of growing geopolitical rivalry in the Asia-Pacific region.
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