Trump-Xi meeting: Minister backs more active role

Taiwan must take a more active role in international risk management, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) three-day state visit to the US.

Xi and US President Donald Trump held their second face-to-face meeting this year following a summit in Beijing in May, with the latest meeting drawing renewed attention to the situation across the Taiwan Strait.

The government maintained close communications with the Trump administration and groups in the US ahead of the meeting in Washington, exchanging views on key issues concerning peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan-US relations, Lin said.

The communication channels have remained stable and effective, he said.

Following the Washington meeting, US Ambassador to China David Perdue told an interviewer that “US policy toward Taiwan has not changed,” Lin said.

This again underscored the importance of sustained communication and mutual trust between Taiwan and its key partners in maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait, Lin said.

The US and China continued negotiations on trade, economic, technology and security issues, including measures such as extending their trade truce by another two months, he said.

That shows that despite efforts to pursue “constructive strategic stability,” structural competition and differences between the two countries remain, he said.

The meeting itself was a form of risk management, as the US and China need to maintain dialogue to prevent miscalculations from escalating, he said.

“Managing risks while engaging with each other” has become a key challenge for the international community as it deals with China’s rise, Lin said.

Whenever high-level US-China interactions draw attention, discussion centered on “doubting the US” or “abandoning Taiwan” emerge in Taiwan, he said.

However, managing the risks posed by China does not mean the international community must seek a full-blown confrontation with Beijing, he said, adding that the China policies of other nations do not mean they must sacrifice ties with Taiwan.

In practice, policies regarding China and Taiwan can coexist, he said.

For Taiwan, that means it must take a more active role in international risk management, Lin added.

US policy toward China is based on a framework established by the Three Joint Communiques, while its relations with Taiwan are institutionally grounded in the Taiwan Relations Act, the “six assurances” and laws passed by the US Congress, he said.

Taiwan-US relations are gradually developing into a “symbiotic partnership” spanning security, economics, technology and industry, he said.

A similar trend is unfolding in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, Lin said, adding that the developments show that Taiwan should not underestimate its own importance.

The international community has a greater understanding of the economic, security and systemic risks posed by China and is placing greater emphasis on Taiwan’s role in democracy, technology, supply chains and regional security, he said.

Separately yesterday, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said that while Trump’s meeting with Xi in the US touched on strategic stability, Taipei and Washington have long shared significant common interests, including maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, preserving the “status quo” and promoting economic prosperity.

An increasing number of countries, including the US, Japan and South Korea, have recently issued statements underscoring the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, while supporting the maintenance of the “status quo” and opposing any attempt to change it through force or coercion, Hsiao said.

However, Taiwan cannot rely solely on foreign concern and support, she said.

“We must protect the democracy we cherish most,” she added.

Additional reporting by Chang Tsung-chiu

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