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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Trump says he will speak with Taiwan's president on arms sales, expects China's backlash

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Donald Trump stated he would speak with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te regarding arms sales, a move expected to draw strong objections from China.
  • Trump commented on the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a "good thing" while also noting that his own welcome was likely better.
  • The potential call between Trump and Lai would be a sensitive issue, as the U.S. severed official ties with Taiwan in 1979, and no sitting U.S. president has directly spoken with a sitting Taiwanese president.

In a move that is sure to provoke a strong reaction from Beijing, former U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated his intention to speak with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te regarding arms sales.

I will talk to him. I talk to everybody.

· Donald TrumpResponding to a question about whether he planned to speak with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te before any U.S. arms sales decisions.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, described the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "good thing." However, he couldn't resist a jab, suggesting that his own welcome for Putin was likely superior to China's.

This potential conversation between Trump and Lai is particularly sensitive given the U.S.'s official break from Taiwan in 1979. While Trump did speak with Taiwan's then-President Tsai Ing-wen as president-elect in 2016, leading to Chinese protests, a call between a sitting U.S. president and a sitting Taiwanese president would mark an unprecedented escalation.

That situation is being handled very well. We had a great meeting with Xi Jinping. We will get that whole Taiwan thing worked out.

· Donald TrumpCommenting on the Taiwan issue after discussing his meetings with Chinese and Russian presidents.

Trump expressed confidence that the situation is "being handled very well" and that the Taiwan issue would be resolved following his "great meeting" with Xi. This statement, however, offers little reassurance to those concerned about escalating cross-strait tensions. From our perspective, Trump's unpredictable approach to foreign policy continues to create ripples, and this instance is no different, potentially destabilizing an already delicate geopolitical balance.

I think it's a good thing.

· Donald TrumpDescribing the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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