TAIPEI, May 18 (Reuters) – Taiwan would welcome a direct call between President Donald Trump and President Lai Ching-te, a senior Taiwanese diplomat said on Monday, as Taipei sought to ease concerns over Trump’s remarks following his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Trump and Xi discussed Chinese-claimed Taiwan at their Beijing summit last week, with Xi warning of conflict if the issue was not properly handled.
Trump made a range of different pronouncements about Taiwan, including that he was undecided on new arms sales, suggesting he might speak to Lai, and that the U.S. was “not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent'”.
A direct conversation between a sitting U.S. president and Taiwan’s leader has not occurred since Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979.
Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told reporters that Trump’s remarks had “caused some unnecessary concern” in Taiwan even if the government believed that “nothing has changed.”
Chen said that if Trump wants to speak with Lai then Taiwan would welcome it, if that is indeed what he meant.
“Of course, we would also ask: based on what you have said, does that mean you want to speak with our president? If he says yes, then should we make the relevant arrangements? We very much hope to have such an opportunity,” Chen added.
Washington is traditionally Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Edwina Gibbs)
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