Taiwan rejects Xi Jinping comments to Trump on island's future

Taiwan has rejected comments by Chinese President Xi Jinping to US President Donald Trump about the island's future, calling them a distortion of the facts. In a statement, Taiwan's foreign ministry said only the people of Taiwan can decide the island's future through democratic means. The response came after Xi reportedly told Trump in Washington that Beijing's position on reunification and territorial integrity was clear.

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According to the ministry, Xi's remarks reflected China's consistent approach of presenting its claims unilaterally. It said the Chinese Communist Party had no right to represent the Taiwanese people. The ministry also said Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to all the people of Taiwan, and that the island's future can only be determined by its own population.

The exchange adds to an already sensitive period in cross-strait relations. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, while President Lai Ching-te and his administration reject that position. The United States remains Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said China was the true disruptor of regional peace and stability. It pointed to what it described as military threats around the island and in the East and South China Seas. The ministry said Taiwan would continue to work closely with the United States and other like-minded partners to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

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The comments also come against the backdrop of earlier signals from Trump on Taiwan policy. After meeting Xi in Beijing in May, Trump said he was pausing a planned new arms sale to Taiwan, describing it as a good bargaining chip. That remark underlined how Taiwan can become part of wider US-China negotiations, even as Taipei insists its status is not for outside powers to decide.

What remains unclear is whether Xi's remarks will lead to any immediate diplomatic response from Washington or further comment from Beijing. The main issue now is whether the dispute will affect ongoing US-China contacts or Taiwan's security calculations. For Taipei, the central message is that its future should be decided only by its people.

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