Taiwan and the US maintain institutional channels of communication, and Taiwan has already received briefings from the US government following the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday, adding that Washington has reaffirmed that its Taiwan policy has not changed.
Taiwan and the US share a consistent position on maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, particularly in response to China’s military threats, Lin said.
Any US arms sales to Taiwan would continue to follow the Taiwan Relations Act and bolster Taiwan’s defense capabilities, he added.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
The key issue is how to prevent China from continuing to alter the “status quo” and challenge peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Lin said, adding that Taipei and Washington must work together to counter Chinese coercion.
Lin made the remarks in response to media queries ahead of a Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting, during which National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) delivered a report on the geopolitical impact on Taiwan’s diplomacy and national security of Trump and Xi’s meeting from May 13 to 15.
During the committee meeting when taking questions from the lawmakers about Trump’s remarks that he would soon decide on a new round of US arms sales to Taiwan and would speak with President William Lai (賴清德), Lin said that a call between the US and Taiwanese leaders would be a positive thing, but it is up to Trump to take the initiative.
There have been no bilateral consultations about it, which would happen if the call were to take place, he said.
US and Taiwanese presidents have not spoken directly since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.
In 2016, shortly after his first election victory, Trump accepted a phone call from then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in his capacity as an incoming US president.
“If there were a phone call between the heads of state of the United States and Taiwan, I think we would view that very positively,” Lin said.
“I believe the president’s side is well prepared,” he added, referring to Lai. “But of course, this also depends on President Trump and how he might proactively bring it about.”
Lai said last week that if he got the opportunity to speak to Trump, he would say China was undermining peace and nobody has the right to “annex” Taiwan.
Lai did not say whether any call had been set up.
Reuters reported on Friday that the US and Taiwan have not made concrete plans for talks between their presidents.
At stake is the future of a new US$14 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, which Trump has said he is yet to decide on.
In December last year, Washington approved US$11 billion in weapons for Taiwan, the largest to date.
Taipei and Washington have said that US policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged after the Trump-Xi meeting.
The US is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
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