U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he is preparing for a conversation with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te as part of the decision-making process regarding the approval of a $14 billion arms sale to the self-governing island. This was reported by Politico, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that Trump's comments could strain relations between the White House and Beijing, which the head of the White House worked hard to strengthen during his visit to China last week.
"I will talk to him (Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te – ed.). I talk to everyone. We have a good handle on this situation. … We will work on this, on the Taiwan issue,"
– Trump replied when asked if he plans to contact Lai before making a decision on the arms sale.
The publication points out that direct communication between the leaders of the U.S. and Taiwan has almost never occurred since 1979, and any move by Trump to speak with Lai would infuriate Beijing, which claims Taiwan as Chinese territory.
At the same time, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sought to make Taiwan a key part of his two-day summit with Trump in Beijing last week, emphasizing that the "Taiwan issue" is the most important in Sino-American relations.
As a reminder
Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo said on Tuesday that he is "cautiously optimistic" about arms sales from the U.S., after President Donald Trump said he is still considering whether to proceed with new arms shipments to the island, which China considers its own.
Trump turns Taiwan arms sales into a bargaining chip in negotiations with China – NYT16.05.26, 13:30 • 4333 views
