U.S. President Donald Trump has said he would have a direct conversation with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te as he makes a final decision on approving U.S. companies to sell billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to Taiwan.
“I’ll speak to him,” Trump told reporters on May 20 when asked whether he would call Taiwan’s leader before deciding on Taiwan arms sales.
“I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand,” he said. “We’ll work on that—the Taiwan problem.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly vowed to achieve what he calls “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, but the regime has been preparing for a potential military takeover.
Trump’s comments came less than a week after his state visit to Beijing, where he and Xi discussed a wide range of issues, including trade, Iran, and Taiwan.
The U.S. president has indicated that he hasn’t made a final decision on whether to proceed with a major weapons sale to Taiwan.
While the United States, like many other nations, doesn’t have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it maintains robust unofficial contacts with Taipei and is bound by law to provide Taiwan with tools to defend itself.
At a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters that China’s opposition to U.S. sales to Taiwan remains “consistent and clear.”
“China is the destroyer of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Lai told reporters in Taipei. “The Chinese military continues to expand its presence in the East and South China Seas, and its drills have extended into the Western Pacific, raising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Lai said his government remains committed to maintaining the status quo with “confidence and composure,” while safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.