Taiwan has breathed a sigh of relief after Donald Trump avoided raising the island in his meeting with Xi Jinping, easing fears that Washington might abandon its longtime support. The US president hailed his talks with his Chinese counterpart, but sidestepped questions on Taiwan, and the White House readout of the meeting omitted any mention of the island.
Before the summit, Taiwan had been the anxious bystander, with analysts predicting the unpredictable Trump could use the island as a bargaining chip. Xi, however, struck a firm tone, declaring that “Taiwan independence” and peace in the Taiwan strait were “incompatible”. He warned that mishandling Sino-US relations could push them into “a very dangerous situation”. Wen-Ti Sung of the Atlantic Council said Xi’s message was that the “Taiwan issue remains the reddest of red lines” for Beijing.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry swiftly retorted that “the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to one another”. But beyond the customary sparring, Taipei was quietly pleased with the outcome, according to William Yang of the Crisis Group. “They’d rather have Taiwan not mentioned than Taiwan mentioned in a way that marks a departure from longstanding US policy,” he said.
The two leaders were due to meet again on Friday, with expectations that trade and investment would dominate. Meanwhile, the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan looms. Beijing has consistently opposed such sales, and in December the Trump administration announced an $11bn weapons package for the island. Another $14bn package has reportedly been awaiting approval, and Taiwan’s parliament has passed a reduced $25bn defence budget to finance purchases.
Some commentators had speculated that Trump might concede on Taiwan to secure Beijing’s help on Iran. But Alexander Huang, a Taiwanese analyst, said Xi’s statement suggested he “may not want to place Taiwan within that framework”, treating the island as a matter to be handled strictly between Taipei and Beijing rather than as a bargaining chip.
