“Taiwan will not be sacrificed.” President Lai points out US legislation to Trump after US-China summit
Taiwan will not be sacrificed or traded, nor will it give up its freedom under pressure, President Lai Ching-te said on Sunday in a message stressing that US arms sales to the democratically self-ruled island are a security commitment based on law, according to Reuters.
It's the first direct response from the Taiwanese president since a two-day summit this week between the presidents of the United States and China, after which Donald Trump told Fox News he wanted to defuse tensions between Beijing and Taipei, saying: “I would say this: I don't want anybody to become independent. We're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to calm down”.
Although the Trump administration in December approved an $11 billion package of arms sales, its largest ever, a second package worth about $14 billion is still awaiting approval even after receiving the green light from Congress.
Taiwanese are 'very concerned' about Trump-Xi Jinping talk
According to President Lai, people are “very concerned” about the discussion about Taiwan during the summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. On the other hand, he thanked the US government for its continued attention to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and its support to Taipei.
Lai Ching-te gave assurances that Taiwan will not provoke or escalate a potential conflict.
“But we will neither give up our national dignity and sovereignty nor our free and democratic way of life under pressure,” the Taiwanese leader stressed, accusing China of being the source of regional instability.
Ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait has always been a strong consensus and a common interest of Taiwan, the United States and democratic countries around the world, President Lai also wrote in his Facebook message on Sunday.
“Taiwan will absolutely not be sacrificed or traded,” he said.
Long-term Taiwan-US security cooperation and arms sales are based on the Taiwan Relations Act, he explained, referring to a 1979 US law that regulates arms sales to the island.
“This is not only a US security commitment to Taiwan, but also the most important deterrent over the years against actions that undermine regional peace and stability,” the Taiwanese president also said.
