Taiwan 'may make another call to Trump'

Taiwanese leader says US ties improving, urges China to do its part to keep the peace

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Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen says she looks forward to a more open dialogue with the US.
Speaking from her presidential office after nearly a year as Taiwan's President, Ms Tsai Ing-wen urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to act like a leader and "show a pattern and flexibility, use a different angle to look at cross-strait relations".
Speaking from her presidential office after nearly a year as Taiwan's President, Ms Tsai Ing-wen urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to act like a leader and "show a pattern and flexibility, use a different angle to look at cross-strait relations". PHOTO: REUTERS

TAIPEI • Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said a direct phone call with United States President Donald Trump could take place again and urged the self-ruled island's political rival China to step up to its global responsibility to keep the peace as a large nation.

"We have the opportunity to communicate more directly with the US government," Ms Tsai told the Reuters news agency in an exclusive interview yesterday.

"We don't exclude the opportunity to call President Trump himself, but it depends on the needs of the situation and the US government's consideration of regional affairs," she added.

The interview was the first since Mr Trump, as US President-elect, took a congratulatory phone call from Ms Tsai in early December last year. It was the first contact between leaders of the two sides in nearly four decades and Mr Trump cast doubt on Washington's longstanding policy of acknowledging Beijing's One China policy.

However, later on in February, Mr Trump agreed to honour the One China policy and earlier this month, hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Florida resort.

Despite this, Ms Tsai said Taiwan's ties with the US, its biggest political ally and arms supplier, have been improving.

Taiwan may need to buy the most advanced stealth jet which the US has, she said. "We don't rule out any items that would be meaningful to our defence and our defence strategy and the F-35 is one such item," said Ms Tsai, in the first remarks by a top Taiwanese official on the matter.

As part of arms talks, Taiwan will have to submit a weapons purchase list to Washington. Ms Tsai said, however, that senior officials are not yet in place in the Trump administration to handle the issue.

China's Defence Ministry said yesterday it was resolutely opposed to any country selling arms to Taiwan. Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun made the comment at a monthly news briefing in Beijing when asked about the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets by the US to Taiwan.

Speaking from her presidential office after nearly a year as President, Ms Tsai urged Mr Xi to act like a leader. "China now needs to have its own sense of responsibility," she said. "I hope Chairman Xi Jinping, as a leader of a large country and who sees himself as a leader, can show a pattern and flexibility, use a different angle to look at cross-strait relations, and allow the future of cross-strait ties to have a different kind of pattern."

China claims Taiwan as its own under its One China policy, but democratic Taiwan, self-ruled since 1949, has no interest in being ruled by China. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 28, 2017, with the headline Taiwan 'may make another call to Trump'. Subscribe