
Taiwan must depend on its own strength for security, the island’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, in response to United States President Donald Trump’s remarks that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him there would be no invasion of the island during Trump’s time in office.
Democratic Taiwan has, over the past five years or so, faced ramped-up military and political pressure from China, which views the separately governed island as its “sacred” territory. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Asked about Trump’s remarks, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei said the government closely monitored interactions between senior U.S. and Chinese officials.
“Taiwan’s security must be achieved through its own efforts, so our country has been dedicating itself to raising its self-defence capabilities and resilience. Our country will keep working hard to do this,” Hsiao told reporters in Taipei.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, although there are no formal diplomatic ties. There is also no defence treaty, so should China attack, Washington is under no obligation to help.
The United States, which is, however, bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, has long stuck to a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” not making clear whether it would respond militarily to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Trump made the invasion comments in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
‘Purely An Internal Affair’
On Monday, China’s foreign ministry said Taiwan was an internal matter that was for the Chinese people to resolve.
“The Taiwan issue is purely an internal affair of China, and how to resolve the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
“We will do our utmost to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification. But we will never allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China in any way.”
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to “reunify” with the democratic and separately governed island. Taiwan vehemently opposes China’s sovereignty claims.
(With inputs from Reuters)