"In their first call since November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned US president Donald Trump to be prudent about supplying arms to Taiwan, according to a readout of their call provided by China's foreign ministry. President Xi emphasised that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations, the readout said. China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated. The US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence."
"Hours later, the self-ruled island's president, Lai Ching-te, said ties with the US were rock solid. The Taiwan-US relationship is rock solid, and all cooperation projects will continue uninterrupted, Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, told reporters during a visit to textile merchants in western Taiwan on Thursday. Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy that China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing prohibits all countries it has diplomatic relations with including the US from having formal ties with Taipei."
"Still, while the US doesn't officially recognise Taiwan as a country, it is the island's strongest informal backer and arms supplier. In December, the US state department announced its largest-ever arms sales package to Taiwan, valued at more than $11.1bn and including missiles, artillery systems and drones. The package is yet to be approved by Congress. China reacted angrily to the proposed arms sales, conducting two days of military drills around the island in late December, for which it dispatched air, navy and missile units."
Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned the US to exercise prudence in supplying arms to Taiwan and emphasised that the Taiwan question is the most important China–US issue. Beijing asserted that China must safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity and will never allow Taiwan to be separated. Taiwan president Lai Ching-te described Taiwan–US ties as rock solid and said cooperation projects would continue uninterrupted. The US announced a largest-ever $11.1bn arms package for Taiwan, pending congressional approval. China conducted two days of military drills around the island in late December in reaction. Taiwan faces domestic political opposition to increased defense spending and blocked budget proposals.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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