Taipei is encouraging U.S. president Donald Trump to speak directly with his Taiwanese counterpart Lai Ching-te, according to a senior diplomat on Monday, May 18th.
The remarks follow uncertainty prompted by Trump’s recent official visit to China, which led to some doubts over continued U.S. support for Taiwan. The Republic of China, which regards itself as independent from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), still sees the United States as its most important world ally. However, Trump returned from Beijing saying he was undecided on new arms sales to Taiwan and asserted that the U.S. was “not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent.’”
Over the weekend, Taiwanese officials reasserted their view of Taiwan as a sovereign nation. Subsequently, Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told reporters
Of course, we would also ask [Trump]: based on what you have said, does that mean you want to speak with our president? If he says yes, then should we make the relevant arrangements? We very much hope to have such an opportunity,
The remarks seem to be promoting an official direct conversation between Trump and president Lai Ching-te, the equivalent of which has not happened since 1979—when Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. Last month, China’s President Xi welcomed a visit by opposition Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, which he touted as evidence of the pending unification of China and Taiwan.
