Concern in Taiwan after Trump's visit to China

2026-05-17 11:32:49 / BOTA ALFA PRESS

Concern in Taiwan after Trump's visit to China

Statements following President Donald Trump's visit to China have raised doubts about the US commitment to Taiwan. The Taiwanese government reacted immediately. "US arms sales to Taiwan have always been a pillar of peace and stability in the region and are provided for in US law," said Vice Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi. He was referring to the 1979 "Taiwan Relations Act", in which the US promises to supply military equipment "of a defensive nature".

Trump hesitates over arms shipments

This, he said, depends “on China” and is a “very good negotiating lever” for the US. “We may do it, we may not,” he said in an interview with Fox News. In Taiwan, it has probably not gone unnoticed that Trump has also repeated some of the positions of the Chinese communist leadership. Thus, he warned Taiwan not to officially declare independence from China – although there are no concrete signs of this.

“We don’t want anyone to say, ‘Let’s declare independence,’ because the United States is behind us,” Trump said. In December, the Trump administration approved an arms package for Taiwan worth $11 billion. Trump’s approval of a second package, worth about $14 billion, is still pending.

China considers Taiwan its territory

The Chinese leadership has repeatedly stressed that it does not completely rule out a military solution to take control of Taiwan. The military has been massively strengthened for years, large naval maneuvers are regularly held near Taiwan, and Chinese fighter jets fly close to the island.

The main island of Taiwan lies just 80 kilometers off the coast of mainland China and has been self-governing since 1949. It has never been part of the communist People's Republic proclaimed in 1949. However, China considers Taiwan to be its territory./ DW

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