United States: After meeting Xi Jinping, Trump warns Taiwan against any idea of independence

After the Taiwanese government appreciated this stance. Back from Beijing on Friday, Donald Trump warned Taiwan against any declaration of independence, following a particularly firm warning issued by Chinese President Xi Jinping on this sensitive issue of Sino-American relations.

The American president, in an excerpt broadcast by Fox News, stated: “I don’t want anyone to declare independence and, you know, then we’re supposed to travel 15,000 kilometers to go to war.” He added: “We don’t want anyone to say, ‘Let’s proclaim independence because the United States supports us.'”

The issue of arms sales to Taiwan

Donald Trump also stated that he has not yet made a decision on a possible sale of arms to Taiwan, while calling for calm between Beijing and Taipei. “I want (Taiwan) to lower the temperature. I want China to lower the temperature,” he explained.

The Taiwan issue dominated the discussions between the two leaders during this visit aimed at displaying a certain stability between the two top global powers, albeit without major progress on trade or Iran-related issues. On Thursday, Xi Jinping warned his American counterpart: “The Taiwan issue is the most important in Sino-American relations. If it is handled properly, relations between the two countries can remain generally stable. If mishandled, the two countries will clash or even go to war.”

Taiwan, a Chinese province for Beijing

China considers Taiwan as a province it wants to reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Beijing claims to prefer a peaceful solution while maintaining the possibility of using force.

For Jacob Stokes, an expert at the Center for a New American Security, this meeting was primarily aimed at preserving dialogue between Washington and Beijing. Bonnie Glaser, from the German Marshall Fund, believes that China will try to convince Donald Trump not to authorize new arms sales to Taiwan before Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Washington in the fall.