Following US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, he issued a statement stating that the island of Taiwan is “sovereign and independent.”
But Saturday’s statement added that Taiwan plans to maintain a “cross-strait status quo” without formally declaring independence from China.
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The message came in response to an interview Trump gave to Fox News the day before as he departed Beijing after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“We’re not going to make anyone independent,” Trump said in the interview, referring to Taiwan, an autonomous island that Beijing claims as its own territory.
The issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty is a difficult issue that dates back to the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s.
Although the United States does not officially support Taiwan’s claim to independence, past presidents have supported the island through arms sales and statements suggesting the United States could defend Taiwan if China attacked it.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump took a more ambiguous approach to defending Taiwan than some of his predecessors.
“We’re going to travel 9,500 miles (15,289 kilometers) to fight a war. I’m not asking for that. I want them to calm down. I want China to calm down,” Trump said.
“We don’t want war. I think China would be fine with it if it stayed the way it is. But we’re not going to have someone say, ‘We’re going to be independent because the United States is supporting us.'”
President Trump’s visit to China
Tensions between the governments of Taiwan and China loomed large over President Trump’s recent diplomatic visit.
Earlier, Chinese state media reported that President Xi told President Trump that Taiwan was “the most important issue in China-US relations.”
“If we respond incorrectly, the two countries may collide or clash, which could put the entire China-US relationship in a very dangerous situation,” Xi said.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump recalled his interactions with the Chinese leader and said he “feels very strongly” that President Xi opposes Taiwan independence.
President Trump added that he was “not making any commitments one way or the other” on the issue.
The president also said he has not yet decided whether to sign a new $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, which has already been approved by the U.S. Congress.
“We haven’t approved it yet. We’ll see what happens,” Trump told Fox News. “Maybe I’ll do it, maybe I won’t.”
Taiwan declares US position “unchanged”
The United States has long maintained a strategically ambiguous policy regarding Taiwan, without formally recognizing or maintaining relations with the Taipei government.
Officially, the US government adheres to the “one China” policy and recognizes, but does not affirm, the Chinese government’s position that Taiwan is part of China.
The United States is also vague about whether it will defend Taiwan in the event of military action by China.
For example, in 2022, President Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden appeared to suggest on the news program “60 Minutes” that the United States would support Taiwan, saying, “If there is an actual unprecedented attack, then yes.”
But the Biden administration retracted that statement, saying there was no change to official U.S. policy.
Still, Washington regularly provides defensive weapons to the island, as required under a 1979 law. The United States and Taiwan also maintain close trade relations.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday that U.S. officials and President Trump had made clear that U.S. policy “remains unchanged.” He added that Taipei continues to deepen its ties with the United States.
He added that China’s military threat was “the only real fear” in the region.
“Arms sales to Taiwan are not only a security commitment to Taiwan, but also a joint deterrent against regional threats,” the statement said.
