US and Taiwan presidents have not spoken directly since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not renounced the use of force. Trump said he would speak to Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te, repeating the claim after a Beijing summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Lai said Taiwan is committed to maintaining a stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait and that China disrupts peace and stability. Lai expressed willingness to discuss these matters with Trump. Trump also suggested arms sales could be used as leverage with China while the US considers a potential $14 billion arms package. The US is required by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to help Taiwan defend itself despite no formal diplomatic ties.
"US and Taiwan presidents have not spoken directly since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979. Taiwan's President William Lai Ching-te has said he would be happy to talk to United States President Donald Trump a conversation that would break more than four decades of diplomatic protocol and risk angering China. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he would speak to Lai, as the White House weighed a massive arms package sale to the democratic island."
"President Lai said on Thursday that Taiwan was committed to maintaining the stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait and that China is the disruptor of peace and stability, the island's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Lai would be happy to discuss these matters with President Trump, the statement said. I'll speak to him. I speak to everybody, Trump said, adding that he had a great meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his state visit to Beijing last week."
"After wrapping up his trip to Beijing, Trump suggested arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a bargaining chip with China, as the US weighed whether to approve a new arms sales package for the island, which could be worth some $14bn. The US is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties."
#us-taiwan-relations #china-taiwan-tensions #diplomatic-recognition #arms-sales #taiwan-relations-act
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