Taiwan leaves door open for presidential phone call with Trump

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung has indicated that President Lai Ching-te remains open to a potential phone conversation with former U.S. President Donald Trump. This openness comes at a time of uncertainty surrounding the approval of a new arms package for Taiwan.

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If that phone call takes place, the initiative is in President Trump's hands. We are always available for a phone call, but I cannot answer on his behalf.

Lin stated that "the initiative is in President Trump's hands" and that Taiwan is "always available for a phone call." He made these remarks during an event hosted by the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club. This follows Trump's past comments where he described arms sales to Taipei as a "very good negotiating chip" for Washington and suggested direct engagement with the Taiwanese president, a move that would break with established diplomatic practices.

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But this world is a connected world, where you can make video calls or phone calls, and people, even with differences of opinion, can communicate. As President Trump has said, he can talk on the phone with anyone.

The minister acknowledged that such a direct conversation has "generated nervousness" in China, which views Taiwan as an "inalienable part" of its territory and opposes interactions between Taiwanese officials and representatives of countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Beijing. However, Lin stressed that "this world is a connected world, where you can make video calls or phone calls, and people, even with differences of opinion, can communicate."

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Clearly China attaches great importance to this matter, which makes it more complex. In any case, we cannot speak on behalf of President Trump or answer for him.

Regarding the broader U.S.-Taiwan relationship post-Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lin asserted that relations "have followed their original course, without deviations." He also addressed recent statements by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who indicated that a $14 billion arms package was "under review." Lin clarified that the pace of these sales might vary, but the Trump-Xi meeting has not led to their suspension or cancellation.

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The pace may be faster or slower, it may be structured in a single package or in several packages; this is more of a technical issue. But in no case has the Trump-Xi meeting led to the suspension or cancellation of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.