Taiwan has declared that it is an independent and sovereign nation following remarks by United States President Donald Trump warning the island against formally declaring independence from China.
The statement from Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry came shortly after Trump concluded his state visit to Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly urged the United States not to support Taiwan independence.
In response, Taiwan insisted that it is already a sovereign democratic nation and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China. The island also defended continued military cooperation with the United States, describing American arms sales as part of Washington’s security commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act.
Speaking during an interview with Fox News, Trump said he was not interested in supporting a formal independence declaration by Taiwan, warning that such a move could escalate tensions with China.
“I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump said, while stressing that he wanted to avoid military conflict in the region.
The United States officially recognises Beijing as the government of China but maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and remains its most important security partner. Under American law, Washington is required to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan, although the United States has traditionally maintained strategic ambiguity over whether it would directly intervene militarily if China s the island.
Taiwan’s Presidential Office responded by reaffirming confidence in United States support and welcomed repeated assurances from Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington’s policy toward Taiwan remains unced.
Meanwhile, tensions between Beijing and Taipei continue to grow as China increases military pressure around the island. Chinese authorities have repeatedly vowed to reunify Taiwan with the mainland and have not ruled out the use of force.
Taiwan recently approved a major defence spending package expected to finance billions of dollars in United States weapons purchases as the island seeks to strengthen its military deterrence against possible Chinese aggression.
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