Taiwan to Trump: Don’t bring us up in Beijing
Island is wary of being a factor in U.S.-China talks
TAIPEI, Taiwan – The government of this autonomous Chinese island is watching with deep apprehension as President Xi Jinping hosts President Trump in Beijing on Wednesday, fearing the future of Taiwan might be a factor in any deal the leaders strike on North Korea or trade.
The summit comes amid frosty relations between Xi’s Communist government and Taiwan’s democratically elected president, Tsai Ing Wen. Her election in 2016 was boosted by her support for Taiwan’s independence as a sovereign nation, something China’s government has vowed to block. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory.
The concern of government officials here is that Trump might alter the United States’ long-standing policy of support for Taiwan as an autonomous region of China to gain concessions from Xi in Trump’s push to halt North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Trump also wants to reduce China’s huge trade surplus with the United States.
“We are cautiously optimistic (about the talks in Beijing) but remind the United States not to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip,” Mainland Affairs Minister Chang Hsiao Yueh told reporters.
Hsu Su Chien, president of the government-sponsored Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, said there were concerns about U.S. intentions.
“President Trump has … his very own style of policy-making,” Hsu said. “My fear is that he can be very short-sighted. If he is not that well advised, he may be unaware of the impact of any abrupt change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan.”
“As long as he doesn’t mention Taiwan, it would be reassuring,” he added.
USA TODAY met with government officials in Taiwan this week as part of a program for journalists sponsored by the East-West Center, a non-profit group that fosters better understanding between the USA and Asia.
“We are cautiously optimistic but remind the United States not to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip.”
Trump is on a 12-day, five-nation tour of Asia. He arrives in China before stops in Vietnam and the Philippines, after visiting Japan and South Korea.
For nearly 40 years, the U.S. government has followed a “one China” policy that recognizes Beijing’s Communists as the country’s sole legitimate government, but also acknowledges Taiwan’s autonomy. The future of Taiwan should be decided through negotiations between the island and mainland, according to the policy.
Although Taiwan has no formal diplomatic relations with the U.S. and most other countries, it is a major U.S. trading partner and arms buyer.
Taiwan has operated as a sovereign state since 1949, when the nationalist government fled after the Communists seized control. Today, about 20 countries recognize Taiwan as a state.
President Tsai’s party upset relatively calm relations with Beijing when it won elections in May 2016 on a platform that rejected the status quo in favor of eventual independence.
Chang Hsiao Yueh