Taiwanese President: We will not be 'traded'

(Patria) - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te stated on Sunday that Taiwan will never be "traded," while urging the United States to continue selling them weapons, reported AFP.

Lai's comments followed U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China, which claims the island as its territory and has threatened to take it by force.

Trump concluded a state visit to Beijing on Friday, where Chinese President Xi Jinping insisted on not supporting Taiwan, which heavily relies on U.S. security support to deter a potential Chinese attack.

"The continued arms sales from the United States to Taiwan and the deepening security cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. are not only necessary but also key elements in maintaining regional peace and stability," Lai said in a statement on Facebook.

Lai insisted that Taiwan, a global powerhouse in artificial intelligence technology and semiconductor chip manufacturing, is at the "core" of global interests and will "never be sacrificed or sold."

Trump's post-summit remarks that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan "depend on China" and are "a very good negotiating chip for us" have unsettled Taipei, which insists such sales are part of Washington's security commitment to the island.

The United States is obligated under U.S. law to provide arms to Taiwan for its defense, but it has been unclear whether U.S. forces would come to its aid.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that he considered Lai's statement to be "a reasonable thing for the leader there to say."

"They have to show some strength," Johnson told Fox News. "China can't just take the country, and we will stand strong, and Congress will."

Taiwan's parliament recently approved a $25 billion defense spending bill to be used for U.S. arms.

Lawmakers said the funds would cover nearly $9 billion of an $11.1 billion arms package that Washington announced in December and a second phase of arms sales, not yet approved by the United States, worth more than $15 billion.

Trump said he was still considering the arms sales and would decide "in the next pretty short period of time."

De-escalation?

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said: "I don't want anybody to become independent. And, you know, we'd have to travel 9,500 miles to go to war. I'm not looking for that."

"I want them to de-escalate. I want China to de-escalate," Trump said. "We don't want wars, and if it stays the way it is, I think China will be fine with that."

Lai said China is the "root cause of regional instability" and that Taiwan "will not provoke or escalate conflicts," nor be forced to give up "its democratic and free way of life."

"It is the status quo that we want to defend; there is no so-called 'Taiwan independence' issue," said Lai, who considers the island already independent, making a declaration unnecessary.

The United States recognizes only Beijing and does not support Taiwan's formal independence, but has historically avoided explicitly stating it opposes independence.

Xi began the summit in Beijing on Thursday with a warning about Taiwan. The Chinese leader told Trump that missteps on the sensitive issue could trigger "conflict."