Trump call would be positive, no planning talks have taken place, says Taiwan
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US and Taiwanese presidents have not spoken directly since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TAIPEI – A call between the US and Taiwanese leaders would be a positive thing but it is up to US President Donald Trump to take the initiative, and the two sides have not had any planning talks, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on May 25.
A call between the two leaders would be unprecedented and risk roiling Washington’s ties with Beijing, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory.
US and Taiwanese presidents have not spoken directly since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.
Mr Trump said again on May 20 that he would speak to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, dispelling initial speculation that his first mention of it after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier in May had been a verbal slip.
Taking lawmaker questions in Parliament, Mr Lin said the initiative to make the call was up to Mr Trump, but there have been no bilateral consultations about it yet, which would happen if the call were to take place.
“If there were a phone call between the heads of state of the United States and Taiwan, I think we would view that very positively,” Mr Lin said.
“I believe the President’s side is well prepared,” he added, referring to Mr Lai. “But of course, this also depends on President Trump and how he might proactively bring it about.”
Mr Lai said last week that if he had the opportunity to speak to Mr Trump, he would say China was undermining peace and nobody has the right to “annex” the island. Mr Lai did not say whether any call had been set up. Reuters reported on May 22 that the US and Taiwan have not made concrete plans for talks between the leaders.
At stake is the future of a new US$14 billion (S$17.9 billion) arms sale package for Taiwan, which Mr Trump said he has yet to make a decision on. In December, Washington approved US$11 billion in weapons for Taiwan, the largest to date.
Both Taipei and Washington have said that US policy towards Taiwan remains unchanged after the Trump-Xi meeting.
The US is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
Mr Lai, who rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed. Beijing calls him a “separatist”. REUTERS
