Taiwan has said it is “sovereign and independent” after US President Donald Trump said he was not seeking to support a formal declaration of independence by the self-governing island.
In a statement on Saturday, Taiwan said it would maintain the “cross-strait status quo”, meaning it would not formally declare independence from China.
The message came as a response to an interview Trump gave to the media a day earlier, as he departed Beijing following meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, reports Al Jazeera.
In the interview, Trump said, “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent,” in reference to Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing claims as its own territory.
The question of Taiwan’s sovereignty has been a fractious issue, stretching back to the Chinese civil war in the 1940s.
While the US does not officially back Taiwan’s claims to independence, successive presidencies have supported the island through arms sales and remarks suggesting the US could defend Taiwan, should it be attacked by China.
Speaking to the media, Trump took a more ambivalent approach to defending Taiwan than some of his predecessors.
“You know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles [15,289km] to fight a war. I’m not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump said.
“We’re not looking to have wars. If you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that. But we’re not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us.'”
The tension between the governments in Taiwan and Beijing loomed large over Trump’s recent diplomatic visit.
Earlier, Chinese state media had reported Xi told Trump that Taiwan was the “most important issue in China-US relations”.
“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” Xi said.
Recounting his exchange with the Chinese leader to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said Xi “feels very strongly” about his opposition to Taiwanese independence.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
