Trump snubs Xi in promise to have first direct talk with leader ‘running Taiwan’ in almost 50 years
President Trump plans to speak directly with Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te, breaking decades of U.S. diplomatic precedent. This move is expected to provoke China, which has long claimed Taiwan as part of its territory. Trump's discussions may include a significant arms sale to Taiwan, indicating a shift in U.S. policy towards the island.
- ▪Trump's planned conversation with Lai Ching-te marks a significant shift in U.S. policy towards Taiwan.
- ▪Beijing has protested the upcoming talks, emphasizing its claim over Taiwan.
- ▪Trump has delayed a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, viewing it as a negotiating tool with China.
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday revealed he plans to speak directly with Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te, marking a departure from decades of U.S. precedent. Such talks promise to antagonize China, where Trump recently traveled to meet with President Xi Jinping and discuss Taiwan. Beijing has long sought to assert communist control over the strategically placed island, which lies just off of China’s coast, after it broke away from the mainland in 1949 and attempted to assert itself as a sovereign democratic nation.
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