The Taiwanese government responds after US President Donald Trump's trip to China and his call for the two countries to 'cool down'.
Donald Trump says he wants both China and Taiwan to "cool down". Taiwan responds to the Trump-Xi talks in Beijing, reasserting its position of maintaining the status quo in the region and its rights as a "sovereign democratic country".
US President Donald Trump said he wanted both China and Taiwan to "cool off" and he wasn't "looking to have somebody go independent". A $US14 billion arms package to Taiwan from the US is awaiting White House approval, but Mr Trump has said he "may do it, I may not do it". The Taiwanese government has responded after US President Donald Trump's trip to China and his call for the two countries to "cool down".
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, in a statement, its position of maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait "was clear".
"It is self-evident that the ROC is a sovereign democratic country," it said. A Da Wu-class rescue and salvage ship sails as the Taiwan military demonstrates combat readiness. Taiwan has been independent from mainland China in all but name since 1949, when Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-Shek retreated to the island with the remnants of his army, refugees and many Chinese artefacts, as well as its gold, silver and dollar reserves.
The island nation was ruled as a military dictatorship until the 80s before transitioning to democracy. The Taiwanese islands of Kinmen are located just 10 kilometres from the Chinese city of Xiamen. Chinese President Xi Jinping previously named China's reunification with Taiwan as an objective and has not ruled out the use of military force to achieve it.
"I will say this, I'm not looking to have somebody go independent," Mr Trump said. "I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down.
" Arms sales to Taiwan were expected to be a topic of discussion during the Xi-Trump talks, but little has been revealed following the US president's state visit. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would continue to cooperate with the US to "ensure that the security and stability of the Taiwan Strait are not threatened or undermined".
"This serves the shared interests of Taiwan, the United States, and democracies around the world," it said. But the latest US arms package to Taiwan of $US14 billion is still awaiting White House approval and Mr Trump has been hesitant to commit. All able-bodied male citizens of Taiwan are required to complete one year of military service.
Public opinion toward reunification with China in Taiwan is mixed, according to surveys by the Election Study Centre of the National Chengchi University in Taipei. As of December 2025, 33.5 per cent of Taiwanese wanted to maintain the status quo indefinitely, while 26.3 per cent wanted to maintain the status quo and decide at a later date. But only 1.1 per cent wanted unification with China as soon as possible, with 6.1 per cent desiring independence as soon as possible.
Lai Ching-te has been Taiwan's president since 2024, defeating Kuomintang nominee Hou Yu-ih in a presidential election. During Mr Xi's meeting with Mr Trump, he said relations between the US and China could be stable if the issue of Taiwan was not "mishandled".
"If handled properly, bilateral relations can remain generally stable. If mishandled, the two countries will clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire US-China relationship into a very dangerous situation," Mr Xi warned.
"Taiwan independence and peace across the Taiwan Strait are fundamentally incompatible. Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the greatest common denominator between China and the United States.
" The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned China's "military threat" was the primary source of "regional instability" in the Asia Pacific, "driving countries in the first island chain to strengthen their defence capabilities". Chinese President Xi Jinping says the "Taiwan issue is the most critical issue in US-China relations". The first island chain is a string of East Asian nations including Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, and has been a vital part of US foreign policy strategy since the 1950s.
Xi Jingping Donald Trump Chinese Civil War US Arms Sale Taiwan Strait Kuomintang Chiang Kai-Shek
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