TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US President Donald Trump said Friday he may still speak with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), despite China’s warning against direct contact between the two leaders, per the Washington Post.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether he still planned to call Lai. Trump said, “I’ll always talk to him,” the Associated Press reported.
A call between Trump and Lai would be unusual because sitting US and Taiwan presidents have not publicly disclosed direct contact since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Trump did speak by phone with then-President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in December 2016, though he was president-elect at the time and had not yet taken office. Washington does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, but the US remains Taiwan’s most important security partner.
Trump first raised the idea last month after meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. At the time, Trump said he intended to speak directly with Lai as he considered whether to move ahead with a US$14 billion (NT$438.82 billion) arms sale package to Taiwan.
Congress approved the arms package earlier this year, but the administration still plays a role in moving such sales forward. The deal would add to US military support for Taiwan at a time of growing pressure from China.
China has warned Washington against direct contact with Lai. The Chinese embassy in Washington told the Associated Press that such a call could hurt progress in US-China relations.
The embassy urged the Trump administration to handle the Taiwan issue with “utmost prudence.” It also said Washington should avoid sending what Beijing called “wrong signals” to Taiwan officials.
