Taiwan's government on Saturday pressed the US to approve the latest arms package to the self-governing island, following President Donald Trump's warning against formally declaring independence after his summit with China's Xi Jinping.

Trump told Fox News on Friday he had not decided on future sales. "I may do it. I may not do it," Trump said. In December, the Trump administration approved a record $11 billion arms sale package for Taiwan. Reports suggest a second deal worth around $14 billion is still awaiting Trump's approval.

Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi said Saturday that Taiwan would continue to communicate with the US to understand the situation. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's spokesperson Karen Kuo said China's military threat is the "sole destabilizing factor" in the Indo-Pacific region, and that US-Taiwan military sales serve as mutual deterrence.

Xi Jinping has been working to weaken the US commitment to defending Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. During their meeting, Xi told Trump that any mishandling of the Taiwan issue could lead to an "extremely dangerous situation."

Trump warned Taiwan not to formally declare independence, saying "I'm not looking to have somebody go independent." Taiwan's foreign ministry stated that Taiwan "is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China."

The US maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity towards Taiwan, being its main arms supplier but not formally recognizing it diplomatically, in line with Beijing's One China policy. Analysts suggest Trump's discussions with China may have tested Washington's longstanding policy of not consulting China on sensitive Taiwan issues.

Source: www.dw.com