Taiwan’s president says the island remains committed to peace despite rising tensions with China and renewed comments from Donald Trump.
Lai Ching-te has said Taiwan will not provoke conflict with China but will also not give up its sovereignty or democratic way of life.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Lai said Taiwan remains an independent and sovereign nation and insisted there is “no Taiwan independence issue.”
His comments came after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan during a high-level summit in Beijing.
Trump earlier warned against any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan, while Xi reportedly described the Taiwan issue as the most sensitive matter in US-China relations.
Lai said Taiwan is willing to maintain dialogue with China under conditions of equality and dignity but rejected what he described as pressure from Beijing to force unification.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island. Beijing has also increased military drills around Taiwan in recent years, including blockade simulations.
The United States remains Taiwan’s largest arms supplier under the Taiwan Relations Act. Lai thanked Washington for continued military support and said stronger US-Taiwan security cooperation is important for regional stability.