TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) would welcome the opportunity to speak with US President Donald Trump.
The ministry reiterated remarks Lai made on Wednesday about what he would emphasize if given the chance to speak with Trump, per Reuters. “In addition to being committed to maintaining the stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait, President Lai is also happy to discuss these matters with President Trump,” the ministry said.
The ministry outlined four key points Lai would raise, according to CNA. First, peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential to global security and prosperity, while China is the true destabilizing force in the region.
It also said Taiwan has increased defense spending in response to growing threats, believing that only strength can preserve peace. The ministry further stressed that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country and that no nation has the right to annex it.
On Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) said Taiwan would welcome an opportunity for Lai to speak with Trump. “If he (Trump) is willing to speak with our president, this would be a very good and rare opportunity,” Chen said.
Asked on Thursday about his earlier comment indicating he would speak with Lai, Trump said, “I’ll speak to him, I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand,” per Bloomberg. He added, “We’ll work on that Taiwan problem.”
Since the US severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 and began recognizing Beijing, the two heads of state have had no direct contact. The only exception came in 2016, when Trump spoke by phone with then-President Tsai Ing-wen after his election victory, marking the first such call in nearly four decades.
