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Trump's warning after meeting with Xi Jinping/Taiwan: We are an independent and sovereign nation

2026-05-16 20:51:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Trump's warning after meeting with Xi Jinping/Taiwan: We are an independent

Taiwan has insisted it is a sovereign and independent nation, after US President Donald Trump warned it against formally declaring independence from China.

Trump's statements came after a two-day summit in Beijing, after which he said he had made no commitments regarding the self-governing island, which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.

After talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump also said he would soon decide whether to approve an $11 billion ($8 billion) arms package to be sold to Taiwan.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has previously said that Taiwan does not need to declare formal independence because it already sees itself as a sovereign nation. On Saturday, presidential spokeswoman Karen Kuo said it was understood that Taiwan was a sovereign, independent and democratic country.

However, she added that Taiwan was committed to maintaining the status quo with China, in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor joins it. Many Taiwanese consider themselves part of a separate nation, although most are in favor of maintaining their current status.

Washington's firm stance is that it does not support Taiwan independence. In an interview with Fox News after meetings with President Xi, Trump reiterated that US policy on Taiwan had not changed, while making it clear that he did not seek conflict with Beijing.

"I'm not asking for anyone to become independent. You know, we have to travel 9,500 miles (15,289 km) to fight a war. I'm not asking for that. I want them to calm down. I want China to calm down ," he said.

During the flight to Washington, the US president told reporters that he and Xi had talked a lot about the island, but said he had refused to discuss whether the US would defend it. /CNA





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