Trump announces talks with Taiwan’s leader on arms, risking fury from China
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
A direct conversation between the presidents of the US and Taiwan could take place for the first time in years — and Beijing, which considers the island its own territory, is unlikely to appreciate it, reports CNN.
US President Donald Trump said that he plans to call Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to personally discuss the sale of $14 billion worth of American weapons to the island.
“l’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday when asked about possible contact with Lai before making a decision on the arms sale.
The president also added that he would work on the Taiwan issue, without going into details.
Direct contact between the leaders of the US and Taiwan is extremely rare: since 1979, when Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, such conversations have hardly taken place.
Any phone call from Trump is likely to anger China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. Trump had already broken this norm in 2016 when he accepted a congratulatory call from then–Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
The US president also confirmed that he is withholding approval of the $14 billion arms package for Taiwan as a bargaining chip in relations with China. Such an approach contradicts the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which obligates the US to supply the island with defensive weapons.
Meanwhile, during a recent summit in Beijing, Xi Jinping called the Taiwan issue the most important matter in relations between the two countries and urged Trump not to allow escalation.
Even before his visit to Beijing, Trump confirmed that he would personally discuss the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan with Xi Jinping.
Following the two-day summit, no significant decisions regarding Taiwan were reached — key security issues were postponed for further contacts between Washington and Beijing.
After returning from China, Trump warned Taiwan against declaring independence while emphasizing that US policy toward the island has not changed.
