Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has vowed that the island will never be “sacrificed or traded” after concerns grew over Taiwan’s future following last week’s high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
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Lai Ching-te said Taiwan would not surrender its sovereignty, democratic system, or freedom under pressure as political anxiety intensified in Taipei following discussions between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping during their recent summit in Beijing.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, Lai stressed that Taiwan’s future could only be decided by its own people and warned against any external attempts to determine the island’s fate.
“Taiwan will absolutely not be sacrificed or traded,” Lai declared.
His comments came after Trump suggested, following the summit, that Washington was still considering future arms sales to Taiwan but also signaled caution regarding Taiwanese independence.
“We’re not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us,’” Trump said after meeting Xi.
The remarks triggered debate and concern inside Taiwan over the long-term reliability of American political and military support for the self-governed island.
Lai acknowledged that many Taiwanese citizens were worried by statements emerging from the Beijing summit but thanked the United States for continuing to support peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
At the same time, he emphasized that Taiwan would neither provoke conflict nor surrender to pressure from Beijing.
“We will not give up our national sovereignty and dignity, or our democratic and free way of life,” Lai said.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has repeatedly warned against growing military and political cooperation between Taipei and Washington.
Beijing has also refused to rule out the use of force to bring Taiwan under Chinese control.
According to reports, Xi warned Trump during the summit that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to “clashes and conflicts” between the world’s two largest powers.
Lai defended continued US arms sales to Taiwan, describing them as consistent with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which provides the legal framework for American security support to the island.
Reports indicate the Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, while another proposed package worth around $14 billion is still awaiting approval.
The Taiwanese president reiterated that the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, is already a sovereign and independent democratic country.
“The future of Taiwan must be decided by its own people,” Lai said, adding that Taiwan’s sovereignty “cannot be violated or annexed.”
Tensions surrounding Taiwan remain one of the most dangerous flashpoints in US-China relations, with growing fears that any military escalation could trigger a wider regional or global crisis in the Indo-Pacific.
