Taipei, Taiwan. President Lai Ching-te said Taiwan will not be “sacrificed or traded” and will not give up its democratic way of life under pressure, in comments posted on Facebook on Sunday. He also said U.S. arms sales to Taiwan were a security commitment based on law.
Response to Beijing summit
Lai’s remarks were his first direct response to last week’s summit in Beijing between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which raised concerns in Taiwan about continued U.S. backing for the island.
Trump said he was still considering whether to proceed with new weapons sales to Taiwan, which China claims, and said the United States was “not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us’.”
Lai cites support and warns against pressure
Lai said people were “very concerned” about the Taiwan content of the meeting, while thanking the U.S. government for its continued attention to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and for its support for Taiwan.
He added that Taiwan would not provoke or escalate conflict.
“But we will also not give up our national sovereignty and dignity, or our democratic and free way of life, under pressure,” Lai wrote, adding that China was the source of regional instability.
China’s position and lack of immediate response
There was no immediate response from China to Lai’s comments.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and says it is a Chinese province, not a country.
Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait
Lai wrote that ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait had always been a strong consensus and shared interest of Taiwan, the United States, and democratic countries around the world.
“Taiwan will absolutely not be sacrificed or traded,” he said.
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