Taiwan will not yield sovereignty despite Trump-Xi pressure

Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te said on Sunday that Taiwan would neither provoke conflict with China nor surrender its sovereignty, following a high-stakes summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing. According to Chinese state media, Xi told Trump that Taiwan was “the most important issue” in relations between Beijing and Washington and warned that mishandling it could lead to conflict. Trump later told Fox News he was “not looking to have somebody go independent” regarding Taiwan, while maintaining that long-standing U.S. policy toward the island had not changed. In a Facebook p

Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te said on Sunday that Taiwan would neither provoke conflict with China nor surrender its sovereignty, following a high-stakes summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing. According to Chinese state media, Xi told Trump that Taiwan was “the most important issue” in relations between Beijing and Washington and warned that mishandling it could lead to conflict. Trump later told Fox News he was “not looking to have somebody go independent” regarding Taiwan, while maintaining that long-standing U.S. policy toward the island had not changed. In a Facebook post, his first direct response to the Trump-Xi talks, Lai reiterated Taipei’s position that there was “no ‘Taiwan independence’ issue” because Taiwan already considers itself sovereign. “Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent democratic country,” Lai wrote, adding that the island’s future “must follow the will of all the Taiwanese people.” Lai said Taiwan would “not provoke” or “escalate conflict” but would also not “give up national sovereignty and dignity, as well as the democratic and free way of life” under pressure from Beijing. He added that Taiwan remained open to “healthy and orderly exchanges and dialogue” with China on the basis of “equality and dignity,” while rejecting what he described as Beijing’s use of unification as coercion. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and has repeatedly stated it seeks “peaceful reunification,” though it has not ruled out the use of force. The United States remains Taiwan’s primary security partner and arms supplier under the Taiwan Relations Act. Trump referenced a possible $14 billion arms sale to Taipei after returning from Beijing, saying the issue had been discussed “in great detail” with Xi. Taiwan has welcomed continued U.S. military support amid growing Chinese military activity around the island, including recent large-scale exercises and blockade simulations.