US President Donald Trump said he would speak directly with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te over a possible arms sale to the island, in a move that would mark a major break from long-standing US diplomatic protocol.
Trump’s remarks signalled a potentially significant shift in Washington’s handling of relations with Taiwan, whose leaders have not held direct talks with US presidents since 1979, when the United States formally recognised Beijing instead of Taipei.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said: “I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody… we’ll work on that, the Taiwan problem.”
The US president made the comments while discussing a proposed $14bn arms package for Taiwan reportedly involving anti-drone systems and air-defence missiles.
The remarks came days after Trump’s two-day summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which Taiwan reportedly emerged as one of the most sensitive issues between the two powers.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island, swiftly criticised the possibility of direct talks between Trump and Lai.
A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said Beijing “firmly opposes official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan” as well as US arms sales to the island.
The spokesperson also urged Washington to “stop sending wrong signals to the separatist forces in Taiwan.”
Under the Taiwan Relations Act passed in 1979, the United States is legally permitted to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons despite lacking formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Trump said he had not yet made a final decision on whether the proposed weapons sale would proceed, adding that he would make a determination “over the next fairly short period.”
I have to speak to the person that right now is, you know who he is, that’s running Taiwan,” Trump said last week aboard Air Force One after leaving Beijing.
According to reports by the Financial Times, Beijing has delayed approval for a planned visit by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby until Washington clarifies its position on the proposed arms package.
During last week’s summit, Xi reportedly warned Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to “conflict” between China and the United States.
Although Trump dismissed the possibility of conflict, he acknowledged that Xi felt “very strongly” about Taiwan.
“I made no commitment either way,” Trump told reporters after the meeting.
Taiwanese President Lai has repeatedly stressed that Taiwan is a “sovereign, independent democratic country” and defended continued US arms sales as essential for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry later said Lai would be “happy” to discuss issues relating to regional stability directly with Trump.
This would not be the first time Trump has broken diplomatic convention regarding Taiwan. In 2016, shortly after winning the US presidency, he spoke with then Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in a move that angered Beijing.
Trump also suggested he discussed Taiwan arms sales directly with Xi during last week’s summit another notable departure from longstanding US policy.
In 1982, Washington assured Taiwan it would not consult Beijing over future arms sales decisions, although Trump appeared to dismiss the relevance of that agreement, saying the 1980s were “a long way” in the past.
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
