U.S. Taiwan policy unchanged after China visit: Trump

Taipei, May 16 (CNA) The United States' longstanding policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, U.S. President Donald Trump said shortly after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing, while warning against Taiwan declaring independence.

"Nothing's changed," Trump said during an interview with Fox News after returning to the U.S. from his two-day state visit to China.

"I'm not looking to have somebody go independent and, you know, we are supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that," Trump said, adding that he wanted both sides of the Taiwan Strait to "cool down."

Trump said the U.S. was weighing a new round of weapons sales to Taiwan, but stopped short of saying whether he would approve the package.

"I haven't approved it yet. We are gonna see what happens. I may do it, I may not do it," the president said.

U.S. media previously reported that the Trump administration had delayed the arms package worth about US$14 billion ahead of his visit to China, which has always opposed any U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

In response to Trump's comments, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Washington had repeatedly stressed that its longstanding policy toward Taiwan remained unchanged since the Trump administration took office.

MOFA said China's military expansion and continued activities around the Taiwan Strait remained "the primary source of instability" in the region, adding that Taiwan was determined to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and strengthen its self-defense capabilities.

In a statement issued on Friday, MOFA described U.S. arms sales as part of Washington's security commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act and "a joint deterrence against regional threats."

The ministry also noted that the U.S. had approved two rounds of arms sales to Taiwan during Trump's current term and continued working with Taiwan and regional partners to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

● Taiwan should closely watch U.S. policy despite no stated changes: Experts

Trump also told reporters earlier on U.S. Air Force One that he made no commitments to Xi on Taiwan and declined to say whether Washington would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

"There's only one person that knows that, and it is me," Trump was quoted by international reports as saying.