"When Donald Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, many feared the unpredictable US leader could upend Washington's longstanding support for Taipei. But beyond a starkly worded statement from Xi stressing China's claims over Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory despite never having ruled it, initial signs appeared good for Taipei. An uncharacteristically sheepish Trump skirted reporters' questions on Taiwan after he and Xi emerged from their first talks on Thursday evening. A White House readout of the meeting made no mention of the issue."
"That welcome silence began to unravel onboard Air Force One on Friday, when Trump told reporters he would soon make a determination on pending multibillion-dollar weapons packages to Taipei provided as part of Washington's commitment to help Taiwan maintain its self-defence capabilities. An interview with Fox News, aired later that day, provided further soundbites, as Trump declared he was not looking to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war in Taiwan's defence. He then described weapons sales to Taipei as a very good negotiating chip for Washington with Beijing, adding that he was not looking to have somebody go independent."
"Washington has long maintained an ambiguous stance on whether it would defend Taiwan if China were to invade. Trump's comments have stoked concern among Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive party (DPP), which supports a continuation of de facto independence. On Sunday, Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, issued a statement emphasising that US arms sales were the most important deterrent to regional conflict. He described Taiwan's security as a core global interest, saying: Ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan strait has always been a high consensus and common interest of Taiwan [and] the United States."
Taiwan’s government faced uncertainty after Donald Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing. Xi issued a stern statement asserting China’s claims over Taiwan. Early signals appeared favorable because Trump avoided reporters’ questions on Taiwan and a White House readout omitted the issue. The situation shifted on Air Force One when Trump said he would soon decide on pending multibillion-dollar weapons packages for Taiwan. In a later Fox News interview, Trump said he was not seeking to travel to fight for Taiwan’s defense and described weapons sales as a negotiating chip with Beijing. Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive party expressed concern, and President Lai Ching-te emphasized that US arms sales are the most important deterrent to regional conflict and that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are shared interests of Taiwan and the United States.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]