Newsletters
Taiwan would welcome an opportunity for President Lai Ching-te to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump after Trump raised the possibility of a call while discussing arms sales, a senior Taiwanese diplomat said Monday.
Trump told reporters Friday aboard Air Force One that he needed to speak to the person “running Taiwan,” an apparent reference to Lai, as he considered whether to proceed with arms sales to the island.
A conversation between Lai and Trump would mark a major shift in U.S. diplomatic practice and could risk angering China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi said Taipei was seeking confirmation from Washington on whether Trump wanted to speak with Lai.
“We will use all channels to understand what the U.S. side is actually thinking,” Chen told reporters.
“We would, of course, very much welcome it,” he said.
“If they are willing to talk with our president, I think that would be a very good opportunity and also a rare opportunity,” he added.
Trump made the remarks after a summit in Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping had urged him not to support Taiwan.
“I’m going to make a determination. I’m going to see,” Trump said when asked whether he would go ahead with arms sales to Taiwan.
“I have to speak to the person that right now is—you know who he is—that's running Taiwan,” he said.
Trump has caused concern in Taipei after suggesting that arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a bargaining chip with China, which has threatened to seize the island by force.
Lai and other Taiwanese officials have pushed back, saying U.S. arms sales are part of Washington’s security commitment to the island.
Taiwan was at the “core” of global interests and “will never be sacrificed or traded away,” Lai said in a statement Sunday.
The U.S. is required under U.S. law to provide weapons to Taiwan for its defense, but Washington has remained ambiguous on whether U.S. forces would come to the island’s aid.
Chen said Trump’s comments had created “some anxiety” in Taiwan and that the government was using “all the communication channels to understand the real meaning behind” his remarks.
“So far, our understanding is there is no change even in the arms sale,” Chen said, describing arms sales as the “cornerstone” of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
In 2016, shortly after his first election victory, Trump accepted a phone call from then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, angering Beijing.
It was the first call between a Taiwanese leader and an incoming or serving U.S. president since Washington switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
