TAIPEI, May 18 (Reuters) – Taiwan would welcome a direct call between President Donald Trump and President Lai Ching-te, a senior Taiwanese diplomat said on Monday, as Taipei sought to ease concerns over Trump’s remarks following his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Trump and Xi discussed Chinese-claimed Taiwan at their Beijing summit last week, with Xi warning of conflict if the issue was not properly handled. China has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Trump made a range of different pronouncements about Taiwan, including that he was undecided on new arms sales, suggesting he might speak to Lai, and that the U.S. was “not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent'”.
A direct conversation between a sitting U.S. president and Taiwan’s leader has not occurred since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.
Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told reporters that Trump’s remarks had “caused some unnecessary concern” in Taiwan even if the government believed that “nothing has changed.”
Chen said that if Trump wants to speak with Lai then Taiwan would welcome it, if that is indeed what he meant.
“Of course, we would also ask: based on what you have said, does that mean you want to speak with our president? If he says yes, then should we make the relevant arrangements? We very much hope to have such an opportunity,” Chen added.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said that as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, “our Taiwan policy remains unchanged.” They did not elaborate.
A White House fact sheet released on Sunday about Trump’s trip made no mention of Taiwan, focusing mostly on trade, with brief references to North Korea and the war with Iran.
ARMS SALES AND ‘INDEPENDENCE’
Washington is traditionally Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, and is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Chen said he could not comment on pending arms purchases, but said such sales create jobs in the U.S.
“Our need for our defence is urgent,” he added. “So I think in the context of the China threat, I think that we need them as soon as possible.”
The vagueness of Trump’s comments on “independence”, which the White House has not elaborated on, has caused debate in Taiwan as to whether he was saying he actively opposed a formal declaration of independence.
“The correct interpretation should be: Trump does not want either side to take unilateral action that would force the United States to become involved in a conflict,” said Tsai Jung-hsiang, a professor at Taiwan’s National Chung Cheng University.
Taiwan’s government has not announced any plans to declare a new state different to the Republic of China, its formal name.
Lai on Sunday reiterated his stance that the Republic of China is already an independent country that does not belong to Beijing and that “there is no so-called ‘Taiwan independence’ issue.”
Taiwan’s financial markets have brushed off the Trump comments.
“The comments on Taiwan following the Trump-Xi meeting had no impact on Taiwanese stocks,” said Mega International Investment Services analyst Alex Huang.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Edwina Gibbs and Thomas Derpinghaus)
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