US President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of meeting with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-toku, an unprecedented move by a US leader and a significant departure from diplomatic norms.
The presidents of the United States and Taiwan have not spoken directly since 1979, when the United States moved diplomatic recognition from Taipei to China.
“I’m going to talk to him,” Trump told reporters Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, when asked if he would call Rai before deciding whether to agree to a major arms sale to the island approved by Congress.
“I’m talking to you all, we’re very aware of the situation,” he said before boarding Air Force One, adding: “We will address the Taiwan issue.”
It is unclear whether the Trump administration is moving ahead with plans for a phone conversation.
Trump’s comments about a possible meeting with Taiwan’s Lai came days after he returned from a high-profile trip to Beijing. During that visit, Chinese leader Xi Jinping directly warned President Trump that Taiwan could be in a “very dangerous situation” if he mishandled it.
China’s ruling party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), considers Taiwan part of its territory, even though it has never ruled it, and has long vowed to “unify” the island with mainland China, by force if necessary.
Under its “One China” policy, the United States recognizes China’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never officially acknowledged the Communist Party’s claims to the island.
The U.S. government maintains strong unofficial relations with Taiwan and is obligated by law under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide the self-governing island with defensive weapons. A 1982 U.S. assurance to Taiwan stated that the United States had no policy of discussing arms sales with China.
How the United States handles its unofficial relationship with Taiwan has long been a key issue for Beijing, which is now watching closely to see whether President Trump moves forward with a $14 billion arms deal with Taiwan. Congress approved the agreement in January.
Any phone call between President Trump and Taiwanese leaders is likely to anger Beijing and risk driving a diplomatic wedge between the United States and China.
In 2016, as president-elect, Trump spoke by phone with then-Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, upending decades of diplomatic protocol. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs filed a complaint and called on the United States to abide by the “one China” policy.
After a visit to China last week, President Trump told reporters on an Air Force plane that he had discussed arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in “very detailed” terms and that a decision on arms sales would be made “in the near future in the near future.”
A senior U.S. official last week pointed to the U.S. government’s record of arms sales to Taiwan, including a sale worth more than $11 billion last December, one of the largest in history, and said it was a sign of U.S. commitment to the autonomous island.
On Wednesday, President Trump described his meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing as “great” before describing Taiwan as a “problem.”
Taiwan’s President Lai, who marked his second year in office on Wednesday, said communication channels between Taipei and Washington “are always open” and said if given the opportunity to speak directly to President Trump, he would say the Trump administration maintains the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
“It is China that is acting as a destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Lai said, adding that “military procurement from the United States” is needed to protect Taiwan.
“We hope that these military efforts will continue,” Rai added.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin on Wednesday accused Lai of “falling into the illusion of relying on outside forces to seek ‘Taiwan independence'” and “trying to change the fundamental status quo that Taiwan belongs to China.”
Mr. Lai has long maintained that Taiwan is a de facto sovereign state and there is no need to formally declare independence.
Taiwan has stepped up its military purchases in recent years under increasing pressure from Beijing, with Chinese aircraft and ships present near the island on an almost daily basis and large-scale exercises regularly conducted in and around the island.
