By Sabiu Abdullahi
Taiwan on Saturday declared that it remains an independent nation after United States President Donald Trump cautioned the island against making a formal declaration of independence.
Trump issued the warning shortly after concluding a state visit to Beijing on Friday. During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the American leader not to support Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of Chinese territory.
Taiwan relies heavily on support from the United States to discourage China from carrying out its repeated threat to take control of the island by force.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Taiwan’s foreign ministry stated that the island’s status was clear.
“Taiwan is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China,” the ministry said.
The ministry also defended continued American weapons sales to Taiwan. It said such sales remain part of Washington’s security obligations to the island.
Trump, during an interview with Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier”, said he did not want Taiwan to move toward formal independence.
“I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that,” he said.
“I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump added.
“We’re not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that.”
The United States officially recognises Beijing rather than Taipei. Washington does not support a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan. However, the US has traditionally avoided openly stating that it opposes such a move.
American law also requires Washington to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan, although the US has remained unclear about whether its military would directly defend the island in the event of a conflict.
Xi reportedly raised concerns over Taiwan during his discussions with Trump in Beijing. The Chinese president warned that mistakes on the issue could trigger “conflict”.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te considers Taiwan already independent, which means a formal declaration is unnecessary.
Taiwan’s Presidential Office on Saturday pointed to what it described as continued support from Washington.
The office cited “multiple reaffirmations from the US side, including President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the consistent US policy and position toward Taiwan remain unchanged”.
Presidential spokeswoman Karen Kuo also stressed the importance of cooperation between Taipei and Washington.
“Taiwan-US cooperation has always been demonstrated through action,” she said.
“Taiwan looks forward to continuing to work with the US under the firm commitments of the Taiwan Relations Act.”
Ahead of the Beijing summit, Trump said he planned to discuss US weapons sales to Taiwan with Xi. His comments marked a shift from Washington’s earlier position that it would not consult China on the issue.
Taiwan’s parliament recently approved a defence spending package worth $25 billion. Lawmakers said part of the money would cover almost $9 billion from an $11.1 billion US arms package announced in December.
Officials also disclosed plans for another phase of weapons purchases valued at more than $15 billion, although the package has yet to receive approval from Washington.
Speaking to reporters while travelling to Washington on Friday, Trump said he would soon decide on the issue of arms sales.
“I’ll make a determination over the next fairly short period of time,” he said.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry later described the arms sales as “not only a US security commitment to Taiwan clearly stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act, but also a form of joint deterrence against regional threats”.
China has continued to increase military pressure on Taiwan in recent years and has repeatedly vowed to bring the island under its control, including through the possible use of force.
