Washington’s commitment to Taiwan remains “strong and unchanged”, authorities on the island have said, seeking to dispel public concerns about a reference to unification by US President Donald Trump.
Trump made the reference on Monday after trade talks with Beijing that led to a temporary rollback in mutual tariffs.
“They’ve agreed to open China, fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China, I think it’s going to be fantastic for us, and I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace,” he said.
The US State Department later clarified: “It’s clear President Trump was speaking in the context of the US-China trade relationship.”
But Trump’s remarks created concern in “some government and diplomatic circles” in Taiwan about whether US policy towards the island had changed, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing multiple unnamed sources.
In a television interview, Cheng Li-wun, a former legislator from the main opposition Kuomintang party, said the “unification and peace” remarks were vague and the word combination was a “clear political reference” that was raising concern.
Taiwan’s presidential office said on Tuesday that the comments did not relate to the island and that Washington’s commitment to Taiwan “remains strong and unchanged”.
“To our understanding, Taiwan-related issues were not touched upon during the US-China trade talks,” office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said.
“In the face of broader changes in the international economic and trade landscape, the administration will continue to prioritise national interests and economic stability, closely monitor the situation, and respond to challenges in a steady and prudent manner. The public can rest assured.”
The American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei, also said Trump was speaking about the American trade relationship with Beijing.
“US policy on Taiwan remains the same, and the US approach to Taiwan has remained consistent across decades and administrations,” the institute said.
But uncertainty about the reliability of American support has been growing in Taiwan for some months. Although Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has repeatedly described relations with Washington as “the best ever”, the sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump cast doubt on that optimism.
A survey by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation last month found that more than 57 per cent of respondents no longer believed the US was a reliable partner, while less than a third still viewed Washington as dependable.
There were also doubts expressed online, with posts circulating on Taiwanese social media platforms arguing that “after selling out Ukraine, Trump will sell out Taiwan next”.
Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary, has stepped up military pressure on the island since Lai took office in May last year.
Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is committed to providing arms for the island’s self-defence, and opposes any use of force to alter the cross-strait status quo.
Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University, said Trump’s remarks were “not surprising” but he suggested there was no need to read too much into it.
“Trump has a transactional personality – everything is negotiable, including Taiwan. This isn’t the first or second time he has made statements suggesting he would be willing to negotiate over Taiwan,” Zhu said.
“It’s also hard to say whether this was a slip of the tongue or something else. Sometimes he reads from a script, and sometimes he improvises, so it’s unclear which part this came from.
“Based on his past rhetoric and style, it’s not surprising that he said something about ‘unification and peace’.