Following US President Donald Trump's visit to China, Taiwan's government issued a statement declaring itself 'sovereign and independent', while adding that it plans to maintain the 'cross-strait status quo' and not officially declare independence from China.

The statement, released on Saturday, was a response to an interview Trump gave to Fox News as he departed Beijing after meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In the interview, Trump said, 'I'm not looking to have somebody go independent,' referring to Taiwan.

The issue of Taiwan's sovereignty has been contentious since the Chinese civil war in the 1940s. While the US does not officially back Taiwan's independence, successive US administrations have supported the island through arms sales and remarks suggesting potential defense if attacked by China.

Trump took a more ambivalent approach to defending Taiwan than some predecessors, telling Fox News: 'You know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down.'

Chinese state media reported that Xi told Trump Taiwan was 'the most important issue in China-US relations', warning that 'if mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict.'

Trump also indicated he has not yet decided whether to approve an $11 billion arms package to Taiwan, which has been approved by the US Congress. 'I haven't approved it yet. We're going to see what happens,' Trump told Fox News.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said US officials and Trump have made clear that Washington's policy 'remains unchanged'. It called China's military threat 'the only real insecurity' in the region, adding that arms sales to Taiwan are 'a joint deterrent against regional threats'.

Source: www.aljazeera.com