Concerns have been caused in , but also in Taipei, the statements he has made regarding the after his departure from and his meeting with the president of .
“No” to Taiwan independence, ambiguities about Trump’s arms delivery
On the one hand, the American president appeared to “cut out” any possibility of declaring independence from Taiwan, arguing specifically that: “I don’t want someone to declare their independence and then, you know, we have to travel 15,000 kilometers to go to war. We don’t want someone to say: let’s declare our independence because the US supports us”. On the other hand, he cast doubt on the arms sale to Taiwan, claiming that he has not made a decision on it and will discuss it directly with Taiwan’s leader.
“I need to talk to the person who is currently leading Taiwan — you know who he is,” he said, without naming President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing considers a separatist.
What problems will Trump have if he adopts the above positions
Trump has two problems related to Taiwan, but they also arise from his attitude, as he described it in his statements. First, a direct conversation between a sitting US president and Taiwan’s leader would be unprecedented since 1979 and would likely provoke a strong reaction from China, which considers the island a breakaway province.
Second, under US law, the US is required to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, so both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called on the Trump administration to continue arms sales.
Regarding this last part, it is noted that a large equipment package to Taiwan, worth up to 14 billion dollars, which also includes advanced anti-missile systems, awaits the final approval of the American president.
Xi and the pressure on Taiwan
From the above, it follows that it is most likely that Xi Jinping managed to “scare” Donald Trump during their discussions, in which, as it became known, the Chinese leader firmly insisted that the main thorn in the relationship with the USA is Taiwan.
As he even mentioned, a mismanagement of the Taiwan issue could lead to a conflict between the two superpowers. Elsewhere, Trump revealed that Xi asked him directly if the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, but he refused to answer.
What is Taipei commenting on?
In an effort to limit the “damage” of Trump’s remarks and apparently anticipating the follow-up, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry announced that it took note of Trump’s remarks and thanked him for approving previous arms sales, stressing that they were based on the US legal framework.
“US-Taiwan arms sales are not only a legal obligation of the United States under the Taiwan Relations Act, but also a form of joint deterrence against regional threats,” the statement said.
Taipei added that it thanks Trump for his unwavering support for Taiwan Strait security since his first term in office, noting that the latest arms package broke all records.
The US government had approved a record $11 billion package in December and has repeatedly assured that the pending sales are being considered through due process, with no change in US policy.
