Taiwan said on Wednesday that only the US president Donald Trump could decide when to carry out his plan for a telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, an initiative that is causing concern in Beijing.
After his meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jinping In Beijing last month, Trump indicated that he planned to speak with Lai Ching-te. To date, no call has taken place.
At a press conference in Taipei, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung stated that the decision rested entirely with the US president.
"We are ready to receive a call at any time, but I cannot answer it on her behalf," Lin told the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club.
The minister added that this possibility was a concern for the Chinese authorities, who oppose any official contact between Taiwan and countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Beijing.
The issue is particularly sensitive because the United States officially recognized the People's Republic of China in 1979 and severed formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Since then, Washington has maintained unofficial relations with the island while remaining its primary arms supplier.
Beijing still considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory and rejects any initiative that could be interpreted as recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty.
If a direct exchange between Trump and Lai Ching-te were to occur, it would constitute an exceptional diplomatic event and would risk increasing the already significant tensions between China and the United States over the Taiwan issue.
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