U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have long been a cornerstone of peace and stability in the region, Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi stated Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Chen said Taiwan will maintain communication with Washington and aims to understand the American perspective on future arms deliveries. This comes after former U.S. President Donald Trump, during his visit to China this week, indicated he would soon decide on a significant new arms package for Taiwan.
Taiwan also reiterated its position as “a democratic, sovereign, and independent country that does not subordinate itself to China.” This assertion followed comments from Trump during a Fox News interview, where he warned Taipei against declaring independence.
“I don’t feel like having someone declare independence and then finding ourselves travelling 15,000 kilometres to fight a war,” Trump said, adding, “We don’t want anyone to say, ‘Let’s declare independence because the United States has our back.’”
Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted the significance of the Taiwan issue on Thursday, calling it the most crucial factor in Sino-American relations. Xi warned that mishandling the matter could lead to conflict between the two nations.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has expressed its willingness to use force to bring the self-governed island under Beijing’s control if necessary.
