Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said he was not worried about US President Donald Trump "abandoning" the island during his upcoming meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week in South Korea, Reuters reported, quoted by News.bg.
Since taking office earlier this year, Trump has wavered in his stance on Taiwan - which China considers its territory - as he seeks to reach a trade deal with Beijing. The US president claims that Xi has assured him that he will not invade Taiwan while he is in power. However, Trump has not yet approved new US arms sales to Taipei.
However, there are concerns in Taiwan that the meeting between the two leaders - on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum - could lead to a compromise to the island's detriment.
Asked if he feared that Trump would abandon support for Taiwan, Lin Chia-lung said:
“No, because our relationship between Taiwan and the United States is very stable.“
He stressed that cooperation between the two countries is close in all areas - from security to trade and business.
The United States, like most countries, does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is legally obliged to provide the democratically governed island with the means to defend itself - an issue that often causes tension in relations between Washington and Beijing.
Taiwan within the APEC forum
The APEC forum is among the few international organizations in which Taiwan participates, although without the presence of its president, in order to avoid political conflicts with China.
Before leaving for South Korea, Taiwan's representative to APEC - former Minister of Economy Lin Hsin-yi - said that the meeting was a good opportunity for "equal interaction" with the other participants.
China increases pressure on the island
Beijing continues to insist on the "one country, two systems" model, which all major parties in Taiwan categorically reject. Over the past five years, China has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure on the island, including through regular military aircraft flights and ship patrols near Taiwan's territorial waters.
China's official Xinhua news agency today sharply criticized "separatist forces" but said the situation was "increasingly favorable to the just cause of reunification." The agency added that the two sides could negotiate a "reasonable solution" under the "one country, two systems" principle that would "respect Taiwan's existing social system."
For its part, the Taiwanese government said Beijing had no right to claim or speak for the island internationally and that only the Taiwanese people had the right to decide their own future.