Taiwan to be key issue at Trump’s high-stakes summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping
When President Trump arrives in Beijing aboard Air Force One for a high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinpingthe main question on the Chinese leader’s mind will not be the global impacts of the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck.
Instead, Xi will focused on Taiwanthe small island democracy in the western Pacific Ocean that China claims as its own.
Ownership of the island is the central issue in U.S.-China relations. The United States has maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan for decades, refusing to say whether it would intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan. At the same time, the United States has sold more than $50 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan for its national defense, allowing it to develop asymmetric capabilities against China.
Late last year, the United States approved a record $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan, angering the Chinese. However, an even bigger package, worth $14 billion, is on Mr. Trump’s desk, awaiting approval. Mr. Trump said he would discuss the package with Xi, a concession no other U.S. president has ever made and a violation of former President Ronald Reagan’s 1982 commitments to Taiwan.
Mr. Trump’s comments raised temperatures in Taipei, with officials concerned that Mr. Trump could potentially sell Taiwan to Xi. China wants Mr. Trump to change the U.S. government’s official language on Taiwan from saying it “does not support” the island’s independence to saying America “opposes” Taiwan’s independence. Although it may seem like a semantic problem, changing diplomatic language could have consequences for people in Taiwan.
Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told CBS News in a lengthy interview that he is not worried about the United States abandoning Taiwan, calling the country a “reliable ally” and emphasizing the mutual benefits of the U.S.-Taiwan partnership. Taiwan plays a key role in geopolitics and global supply chain. The territory produces 90% of the high-end semiconductors used worldwide for AI and defense technologies.
“The United States can count on us as much as we can count on them,” Chen said. “Do we believe in the American commitment? Yes. They are our reliable partner. Probably the most reliable partner.”
Xi said Taiwan’s reunification with mainland China was “unstoppable.” China has proposed “one party, two systems” for Taiwan, the same model it uses in Hong Kong and Macau. Xi also did not rule out take island territory by force. However, Xi may not have to take such extreme measures if China can secure long-awaited concessions from the United States.
Chen noted that China became aggressive in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, highlighting the country’s escalating military buildup and daily military exercises. Xi had previously told his military it was ready to intervene in Taiwan in 2027, but a March U.S. intelligence report on global threats found China would not invade again next year. National Defense and Security Research Institute military analyst Dr Liang-Chih Evans Chen said: recent large-scale purges of Chinese military leadership likely put Xi behind schedule.
“We won’t face the problem of the situation now, but we might face it in a few years,” he said. “I think the threat remains.”
Chen, the vice foreign minister, said an overwhelming percentage of Taiwan’s population would never accept reunification. He said the public wanted peace and stability.
“Since democratization, we have enjoyed freedom of speech, democracy and a diverse society,” Chen said. “We have gone through an authoritarian past. We consider democracy to be something we have achieved. Taiwanese people cherish that very much. We will never accept one country, two systems.”
Chen said the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal crackdown on mass pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019 showed the true face of the group.
“What happened in Hong Kong was not particularly convincing to the Taiwanese,” Chen said. “Those who want to speak out have been brutally suppressed. The (Chinese) Communist Party will not allow freedom of expression, human rights and societal diversity.”
“The people of Taiwan have not lived a single day under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party,” Chen added. “How come we are part of it?”
