US President Donald Trump has cautioned Taiwan against formally declaring independence from China. I'm not looking to have somebody go independent, the US president told Fox News on Friday, at the end of his two-day summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has previously stated that Taiwan does not need to declare formal independence because it already sees itself as a sovereign nation. The US has long supported Taiwan, including being bound by law to provide it with a means of self-defence, but has frequently had to square this alliance with maintaining a diplomatic relationship with China.
Trump earlier said he had made no commitment either way about the self-governing island - which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force. Washington's established position is that it does not support Taiwanese independence, with continued ties with Beijing being contingent on its acceptance that there is only one Chinese government.
Beijing has been vocal in its dislike of Taiwan's president, who it has previously described as a troublemaker and a destroyer of cross-strait peace. Many Taiwanese consider themselves part of a separate nation - though most favor maintaining a status quo in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it.
In his interview with Fox News, Trump reiterated that US policy on the matter had not changed. You know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles (15,289km) to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down, he said.
On the flight back to Washington, the US president had told reporters that he and Xi had spoken a lot about the island, but said he had declined to discuss whether the US would defend it. Xi feels very strongly about the island and doesn't want to see a movement for independence, Trump said.
Trump also mentioned that he would soon decide whether an $11 billion package of weapons sale to Taiwan could go ahead, a move that Beijing condemned. Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi highlighted the need to clarify Trump's remarks and affirmed that US arms sales to Taiwan have always been a cornerstone of regional peace and stability.
