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Taiwan said Saturday it is a “sovereign and independent democratic nation,” hours after U.S. President Donald Trump warned the island against declaring formal independence following his state visit to Beijing.
Trump wrapped up the visit Friday, where Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed him not to support Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
Taiwan depends heavily on U.S. security backing to deter China from carrying out its threat to annex the island by force.
Taiwan “is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement came after Trump warned Taiwan against making a declaration of independence.
“I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that,” Trump told Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
The U.S. recognizes only Beijing and does not support formal independence for Taiwan, but has historically stopped short of explicitly opposing independence.
Xi opened the summit with a warning on Taiwan. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te considers the island already independent, making a declaration unnecessary.
The Chinese leader told Trump that missteps on the sensitive issue could cause “conflict.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry also said U.S. arms sales are part of Washington’s security commitment to the island, after Trump said he was considering the issue.
“Regarding Taiwan-U.S. arms sales, this is not only a U.S. security commitment to Taiwan clearly stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act, but also a form of joint deterrence against regional threats,” the ministry said.
Under U.S. law, Washington is required to provide weapons to Taiwan for its defense, but it has remained ambiguous on whether U.S. forces would come to the island’s aid.
Ahead of the summit, Trump said he would speak to Xi about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, a departure from Washington’s previous insistence that it would not consult Beijing on the matter.
Taiwan’s parliament recently approved a $25 billion defense spending bill that will be used for U.S. weapons.
Speaking to reporters Friday en route to Washington, Trump said, “I’ll make a determination over the next fairly short period of time.”
China has sworn to take the island and has not ruled out using force, while ramping up military pressure in recent years.
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