US allies in Asia fear concessions on Taiwan — The Japan Times
Washington’s allies in Asia fear that President Donald Trump may weaken support for Taiwan in exchange for economic gains in relations with Beijing during an expected summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on September 24. Officials, lawmakers and analysts in Taipei, Tokyo and Washington believe that even a minor change in US rhetoric regarding the island could embolden China and jeopardize the fragile peace in the region, The Japan Times reports.
Taiwanese and Japanese concerns
Concerns intensified after Trump in May called sales of US weapons to democratically governed Taiwan a bargaining chip. According to the publication, a $14 billion US arms package for Taiwan has been awaiting presidential approval for several months. After a May meeting with Xi, Trump said he had postponed a decision on the package, calling it a very good bargaining chip.
Senior Taiwanese official Shen Yu-chung said that the island’s government is clearly conveying its position to the US side ahead of the summit. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said he expects Xi Jinping to raise the Taiwan issue, but Washington has repeatedly stated that its policy toward the island remains unchanged.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is also seeking to establish contact with Trump before his meeting with the Chinese leader, two Japanese government sources told the publication. According to them, the most likely venue for such contact could be the UN General Assembly in New York. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Tokyo would closely monitor the upcoming summit and considers it important that US-China relations contribute to the stability of the international community.
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The Taiwan issue in negotiations
China calls Taiwan the core of its key interests in relations with the United States and has not renounced the use of force to establish control over the island. Former Chinese Ambassador to Washington Cui Tiankai said at a defense forum in Beijing that reunification with Taiwan would bring stability that is in the interests of the United States.
The United States adheres to the one-China policy, under which Washington officially takes no position on Taiwan’s sovereignty and acknowledges, but does not endorse, Beijing’s position that the island belongs to China. Trump said Xi personally assured him that China would not attack Taiwan while Trump is in office. At the same time, Trump did not say whether the United States would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
Malaysia’s National Security Director-General Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin said in Washington that, in his opinion, the United States and other Western countries significantly underestimate Taiwan’s importance to Beijing. He stressed that a possible Chinese invasion of the island, which produces more than 90% of the world’s advanced semiconductors, would shake the global economy.
