In response to Trump, Taiwan says it is sovereign and independent'

"Taiwan says it will maintain status quo' and deepen ties with the US after Trump meets with China's Xi Jinping. Following a visit from United States President Donald Trump to China, the island of Taiwan has issued a statement saying it is sovereign and independent. But Saturday's statement added that Taiwan plans to maintain the cross-strait status quo, under which it will not officially declare independence from China."

"In the interview, Trump said, I'm not looking to have somebody go independent, in reference to Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing claims as its own territory. The question of Taiwan's sovereignty has been a fractious issue, stretching back to the Chinese civil war in the 1940s. While the US does not officially back Taiwan's claims to independence, successive presidencies have supported the island through arms sales and remarks suggesting the US could defend Taiwan, should it be attacked by China."

"Speaking to Fox News, Trump took a more ambivalent approach to defending Taiwan than some of his predecessors. You know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles [15,289km] to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down, Trump said. We're not looking to have wars. If you kept it the way it is, I think China's going to be OK with that. But we're not looking to have somebody say, Let's go independent because the United States is backing us.'"

"Earlier, Chinese state media had reported Xi told Trump that Taiwan was the most important issue in China-US relations. If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation, Xi said."

Taiwan stated it is sovereign and independent, while also saying it will maintain the cross-strait status quo. Under this approach, Taiwan will not officially declare independence from China. The statement followed an interview Trump gave to Fox News after departing Beijing following meetings with Xi Jinping. Trump said he was not looking for Taiwan to go independent and emphasized avoiding wars, urging cooling down between the United States and China. The Taiwan sovereignty dispute traces back to the Chinese civil war. The United States does not officially support independence but has supported Taiwan through arms sales and remarks about possible defense if attacked. Chinese state media reported Xi warned Taiwan is the most important issue in China-US relations and that mishandling it could lead to collision or conflict.

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