Taiwan will be a major issue in Trump's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping
When President Trump arrived in Beijing on Air Force One to take the a big meeting with President Xi Jinpingthe issue at the top of the Chinese leader's mind will not be the global impact from the Iran war and the bottlenecked Strait of Hormuz.
Instead, Xi will be focused on Taiwana small democratic island in the western Pacific Ocean that China claims as its own.
Island ownership is a top issue in US-Chinese relations. The US has maintained a policy of “ambiguity” on Taiwan for decades, refusing to say whether it would intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan. At the same time, the US has sold more than $50 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan to defend the country, allowing it to build asymmetric capabilities against China.
Late last year the US approved an $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan, angering the Chinese. However, an even bigger package worth $14 billion has been placed on Mr. Trump is awaiting approval. Mr. Trump has said he will discuss that package with Xi, a deal no other US president has ever made and breaking former president Ronald Reagan's 1982 commitment to Taiwan.
The comments of Mr. Trump raised the temperature in Taipei, as officials worried that Mr. Trump may sell Taiwan to Xi. China wants Mr. Trump changed the US government's official language regarding Taiwan from saying it “does not support” the island's independence to saying the United States is “opposed” to Taiwan's independence. Although it may sound like a semantic issue, the adjustment of official language may have consequences for Taiwanese residents.
Taiwan's Vice Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told CBS News in a wide-ranging interview that he is not worried about the US leaving Taiwan, calling the country a “loyal ally” and pointing out that there are mutual benefits to US-Taiwanese cooperation. Taiwan plays an important role in geopolitics as well global supply chain. This facility produces 90% of the high-quality semiconductors used in AI and defense technology.
“The US can trust us as much as we can trust the US,” Chen said. “Do we believe in the commitment of the US? Yes. They are our most reliable partner. Maybe our most reliable partner.”
Xi said Taiwan's reunification with mainland China is “unstoppable.” China has proposed “one party, two systems” for Taiwan, the same model it is using Hong Kong and Macau. Xi also did not make a decision taking over the island by force. However, Xi may not need to take extreme measures if China is able to get the concessions the US has been seeking.
Chen noted that China be angry in the South China Sea and East China Sea, highlighting the country's growing military buildup and daily military exercises. Xi previously told his military to prepare to take action on Taiwan in 2027, but a US intelligence report in March on global threats found that China would not attack next year. The military analyst of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Dr. Liang-Chih Evans Chen said the latest wide-scale purge of China's military command it is possible to place Xi later.
“We will not face the problem of the situation now, but we may face a problem in a few years,” he said. “I believe the threat is still there.”
Chen, the vice foreign minister, said a large percentage of Taiwanese people would never accept reunification. He said the community wants peace and stability.
“Since the advent of democracy, we have enjoyed freedom of speech, democracy, and a diverse society,” said Chen. “We have moved past the past of dictatorship. We see democracy as something we have achieved. The people of Taiwan appreciate that very much. We will not accept one country, two systems.”
Chen said the Chinese Communist Party's brutal attacks on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019 showed the party's true colors.
“What happened in Hong Kong was not particularly satisfactory to the people of Taiwan,” said Chen. “Those people who want to speak are brutally suppressed. The (Chinese) Communist Party will not allow freedom of speech, human rights and diversity of communities.”
“Taiwanese people have not lived a single day under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party,” Chen added. “How are we part of them?”
